


Welcome to Seventeen.

by greysoo



Series: Welcome to Seventeen [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: AU, Comedy, Crack, Fluff, M/M, an attempt at all those tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-05-19 08:29:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5960836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greysoo/pseuds/greysoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which all the members of Seventeen work under Seventeen magazine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Seventeen

Lee Chan tightened his grip on the strap of his sling bag as he stood before the building which he will call his second home for the next six months. Having just completed his 2nd year of college, he decided to sign up for the internship program at Seventeen magazine. His college counselor has been pestering him to gain workplace experience over the past year and he could almost hear her voice at the back of his head screaming, “Lee Chan! Getting workplace experience is important, you need to know how difficult it is to meet deadlines, how to connect with your workmates and most importantly how challenging your job is!”

 

Also, it didn’t help that his college counselor is also his mother.

 

He sighed and walked towards the building. The building was tall and mighty and it was surrounded by countless white-collared workers. It was relatively easy to spot them. They typically have one hand clutched onto their bags and the other onto their phones with their thumb furiously tapping away. They would always walk briskly, even if they weren’t rushing to somewhere and look like they could survive on coffee alone.

 

Chan hates coffee and it would be his worst nightmare to turn into a soulless employee. Nevertheless, it’s the only place where he could do what he likes; to provide readers an aesthetically pleasing magazine with good design. 

 

He entered the building and immediately walked towards the receptionist. She looked immersed in her work and did not even realize someone was standing by the table.

 

“Good morning. I’m Lee Chan, the new intern at Seventeen and-”  

 

“Okay,” the receptionist interrupted without taking her eyes off the computer screen. “let me just get your ID real quick.”

 

Chan nodded as he watched the receptionist go through the pile of ID cards.

 

“Here’s your ID, the office is on the - oh, hello!”

 

Chan jumped in shock at the receptionist’s sudden change in voice and expression. From a dull monotonous tone she suddenly became chirpy at the sight of someone walking past by.

 

“Good morning, Nana.” An unknown voice greeted from behind.

 

Curious, Chan turned to his side to see a man standing next to him. At that moment, he understood why Nana (as he learnt the receptionist’s name was) immediately plastered a big smile across her face as soon as she saw the man. Now, Chan thought it was simply an expression from books and movies when you’d describe a good looking man as “tall, dark and handsome” but this man standing next to him was literally the definition of tall, dark and handsome.

 

“Mingyu, this is-” Nana stopped midway to look at Chan, trying to remember his name.

 

“Lee Chan.” He answered and offered his hand for a handshake which Mingyu returned promptly.

 

“Yeah, Lee Chan.” Nana snapped her fingers. “He’s your new intern at the office.”

 

Chan swore this guy was a model. No way he would have thought that this guy could potentially be his co-worker. He placed his hands on his cheeks as he got conscious of his looks.

 

“Oh, you’re the new intern! Nice to meet you, Lee Chan. I’m Mingyu.” Mingyu smiled. “Let me take you to the office.”

 

Chan nodded and followed Mingyu from the back. Every step Mingyu took, Chan had to take two because damn, not only does the guy has long legs but he walks fast too. He eventually caught up with him and they went into the elevator together.

 

“Wait! Hold up!” a voice called from outside. 

 

Mingyu instinctively pressed the open button and a boy who looked almost the same age as Chan ran into the elevator. He had round cheeks and brown hair gelled neatly to the side. He was huffing and puffing while he used one of his files to fan his face.

 

“Boo Seungkwan!” Mingyu exclaimed. “Amazing, you’re only 10 minutes late to work today!”

 

“Excuse me, I’m on time everyday!” Seungkwan pursed his lips. “You guys just arrive, well, earlier!”

 

Mingyu chuckled and shook his head. “Anyway meet your new friend, Lee Chan. He’s the new intern.” He gestured towards Chan who was standing at the corner of the elevator.

 

“Oh, hello!” Seungkwan greeted. “I’m Boo Seungkwan, Head of the Interns.”

 

“And also, the Head of Self-Giving Titles.” Mingyu interjected. “He’s just another intern.”

 

Seungkwan glared at Mingyu which earned him a hit on the back in return. 

 

“I’ll give you a tour of the office and introduce you to the rest of us later.” Seungkwan said with a smile.

 

“Thank you.” Chan smiled back and bowed with gratitude. Maybe his job wouldn’t be as dull as he imagined it to be.

 

***

 

“Right here,” Seungkwan opened the door to an office. “is the interns’s office.”

 

Inside the office was a large round desk and one part of it was already occupied by another boy with a mop of blonde, brown-ish hair with soft features.

 

“That’s Vernon.” Seungkwan said, as if he could read Chan’s mind. “Vernon - Chan, Chan - Vernon.”

 

“Hey.” Vernon greeted with half a cookie in his mouth. 

 

Besides the round desk which three of them will share, there were glass notice boards nailed onto the walls, a photocopy machine on the other side of the office and stacks of paper situated next to it. The notice boards had various dates and notes scribbled onto them with the exception of one which had drawings of what seemed to be poorly drawn portraits.  

 

“My desk is next to Vernon’s and your desk will be next to mine.” Seungkwan tapped on the empty desk next to his. “After you settle down, I’ll introduce you to the other departments and the editors.”

 

“Okay.” Chan nodded and hastily placed his bag on his chair. He took out some of his documents, hard disk and stationaries and arranged them neatly on his desk.

 

“You look really nervous.” Vernon commented. “People here are super chill, don’t worry.”

 

“Ah, I do?” Chan answered, flustered. “I guess it’s because it’s my first time working at such a big company, everything feels very new and foreign.”

 

“You’ll get used to it in no time. Now,” Seungkwan looks over to Vernon and tips his head. “It’s time for -”

 

Vernon looked at Seungkwan with a crooked eyebrow before nodding upon understanding the situation. He turns on the projector, taps his mouse a few times and a picture of Seungkwan accompanied with cheesy background music appeared on the screen.

 

“Boo’s Seventeen Office tour!” Seungkwan raised his arms in excitement. “Vernon, get that flag I made.”

 

Vernon bends down to reach for something under his desk. He then produced a mini flag with the words “Boo’s Tours” printed on it.

 

“Did both of you plan that?” Chan asked out of curiosity.

 

“Only him.” Vernon pointed a finger at Seungkwan.

 

“I don’t have all day, let’s move, move, move!” Seungkwan ushers Chan outside the office while he waved his flag.

 

At this point, Chan tries to figure out if it’s ethical to hand in a resignation letter on the first day of work.

 

***

 

“Chan, my young grasshopper, our first stop is the writers office.” Seungkwan placed his arm over Chan’s shoulder. “We have 3 columns; the advice column, gossip and entertainment column and the lifestyle and fashion column.”

 

“Oh, Joshua Hong writes for the advice column, right? His advices are really good.” 

 

“People actually follow his advices?” Seungkwan asked with genuine shock. “His advice ranges from actual advice to simply ‘Meet me at my church please.’ along with the address. We’ve actually gotten a few complaints for that, some people found it to be inappropriate.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Anyway, here we are!” Seungkwan opened the doors to the writers office. “Hey, guys! This is Lee Chan, the new intern.”

 

The writers’ office was relatively small, with the large desks filling up most of the space. Two writers greeted them with a smile, one of them being Joshua. He stood up and walked over to Chan to offer him a handshake.

 

“He’s a fan, he reads your column.” Seungkwan stated.

 

“Oh, really? That’s nice to know.” Joshua smiled. “If you’re having any troubles, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

 

“Joshua,” The other writer deadpanned. “how can you relate to the youth when you don’t even know Zayn released a single?”

 

“Oh my gosh! He released a new single?” Joshua quickly goes back to his desk. “So he’s no longer in One Direction?” 

 

The other writer rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I’m Jun, writer of the gossip and entertainment column. I hope you’ll have fun working here! We’re a fun bunch, it’s just that guy over there who’s stuck in the stone age.” He whispered the last sentence.

 

“Praise the Lord! Zayn is great!” Joshua exclaimed while he bop his head to the music.

 

“We’ll get going now.” Seungkwan laughed awkwardly as he guided Chan out of the office.

 

“Oh, by the way, Seokmin and Minghao are at the pantry!” Jun calls out.

 

***

 

“Here’s the pantry, feel free to eat anything which does not have someone’s name on it.” Seungkwan opened the refrigerator to look inside. “Or anything that’s not mouldy.” He said the last bit in disgust.

 

“Noted.” Chan answered. “Oh are they the other writers?”

 

Seungkwan looked over to the other side to see two males hovered over a pair of jeans.

 

“What are you guys doing?” Seungkwan inquired after walking up to them.

 

“For the next issue, we’re giving advice on how to remove stains from jeans.” A guy with a permanent eye smile answered.

 

“And we’re experimenting with other items - like lemons!” The other guy with pastel coloured hair held up a slice of lemon proudly. “Oh wait, who are you?” He asked, facing Chan.

 

“I’m Lee Chan, the new intern.” Chan answered and wondered how many times has he said this exact sentence.

 

“Nice to meet you Chan! I’m Seokmin and this is Minghao. We’re the writers for the lifestyle and fashion column.” Seokmin said while trying to rub off a stain with a slice of lemon. 

 

“Your name is pretty generic. Seungcheol will probably give you a nickname soon.” Minghao said with a cheeky smile.

 

“Our boss is known for giving nicknames.” Seungkwan explains. “Seokmin is also known as DK and Minghao as The8.”

 

“Oh, that’s kinda cool!” Chan said in excitement “By the way, I think you can remove that stain with white vinegar.”

 

Both Seokmin and Minghao looked up with delight.

 

“That’s great! Thank you, Chan.” Seokmin thanked him before proceeding to look through the cabinets for vinegar.

 

“I swear they’re born for their jobs, they’re living trials and errors.” Seungkwan scoffed on their way out.

 

***

 

“And here we have the stylists, they basically style all the models that appear in the magazine and are in charge of cover shoots” Seungkwan referred to the open studio with his palms facing upwards. “There’s Mingyu, you’ve met him earlier.”

 

Upon hearing his name, Mingyu looked up. “Guys, I was talking about him earlier. Everyone meet Lee Chan, the new intern.” He said when he saw a familiar face standing at the entrance of the studio.

 

There were two other stylists present in the room besides Mingyu. One of them had long hair and a face so kind Chan swore he was glowing as he walked towards him whilst the other looked like he never grew out of his emo phase. Chan later then learnt that they were Jeonghan and Wonwoo respectively.

 

“Jeonghan is the coordinator, Wonwoo is the photographer and I’m the stylist but we all work together and help each other out.” Mingyu mentioned. 

 

Chan nodded his head in understanding.

 

The studio was probably the largest open space in the entire workplace. A long white cloth hung against the wall and a camera was placed on the opposite of it. Various photography equipment and props were placed along the perimeter of the studio. There were also racks of clothing situated next to where Jeonghan was sitting and photographs of models pinned onto the cork board. 

 

“You can ask anyone around here for help if you’re unsure about anything.” Mingyu said. “We’ve all been in your position before so we know how confusing things can get.”

 

“Yup! Don’t hesitate to ask us anything, even like ‘Why is Wonwoo such a emo nemo.” Jeonghan pointed at Wonwoo who was sitting at his desk.

 

“I’m not emo!” Wonwoo cried from his desk.

 

“Sure you’re not.” Jeonghan answered with a wink.

 

Mingyu shook his head. “Alright, you should bring him to meet the editors.” He told Seungkwan.

 

“Members of Boo’s Tours, let’s move!” Seungkwan sang.

 

“I’m the only one.” Chan commented.

 

“Don’t sass me!” Seungkwan snapped with a glare.

 

The stylists laughed and sent the duo on their way out.

 

***

 

“And this is our final stop,” Seungkwan stopped in front of a meeting room with glass panels. “Meeting the editors.”

 

Through the glass panels, Chan could see one of the editors pitching an idea with animated movements. His movements and blue hair almost made him look like a cartoon character. One of the editors who was listening to the pitch clapped and gave him two thumbs up while the other with bright pink hair looked like he wanted to jump off a cliff immediately. 

 

When they got closer to the door, Chan could hear the blue-haired editor going, “Okay, we should print our covers with lenticular printing! That way we can have two different covers at once, how cool is that! Am I right or am I right?” 

 

“Soonyoung, please-” The pink haired editor said before stopping himself when he noticed the presence of two other people at the entrance.

 

“Good afternoon,” Seungkwan greeted. “This is Lee Chan, the new intern.”

 

“Good afternoon.” Chan bowed at the sight of his bosses.

 

“Let me introduce you to the editors of Seventeen.” Seungkwan said. “That’s Seungcheol, Soonyoung and Jihoon.”

 

A chorus of hellos and waves were exchanged between both parties.

 

“We look forward to working with you on the next issue.” Jihoon said with a welcoming smile.

 

“Newbie!” Soonyoung called. “Lenticular printing. Yay or nay?”

 

Chan became flustered at the sudden question but Seungcheol stepped in just in time. “Go easy on the newbie, Soonyoung!” He said. “Anwyay, welcome to the team!”

 

Seungcheol went over to Chan and gave him a tight hug.

 

“Our boss is quite the hugger.” Seungkwan whispered into Chan’s ears. “And a little weird.”

 

“Whoa, I can feel your strong presence in this room!” Seungcheol exclaimed at Chan. 

 

“See what I meant by weird?” Seungkwan whispered again.

 

“You’re like tiny but huge. You get what I mean?”

 

Chan was confused and looked over to Seungkwan for an explanation to which he couldn’t offer him one.

 

“You’re like a dinosaur.” Seungcheol explains with hand movements. 

 

“Seungcheol! That should be his nickname!” Soonyoung said with excitement.

 

“Aight, kiddo, I will now bestow you with the nickname, Dino!”

 

“What’s going on?” Chan quivered.

 

“Nickname party!” Seungkwan screamed at the hallway. Soon all his co-workers came to the room and everyone started congratulating Chan.

 

Jun started playing upbeat pop music and Jeonghan put on a party hat onto Chan’s head.

 

“Not gonna lie,” Joshua screamed over the music. “This song is cool beans!”

 

“For Gods sake, Joshua! No one says, ‘cool beans’ anymore!” Jun screamed back.

 

It was total chaos, everyone was jumping around while loud music played. Bickering was heard between Jun and Joshua, Jihoon was sitting at his spot with his thumb and forefinger massaging his temples and the rest were simply goofing around. However, Chan felt a certain warmth being surrounded by them. It was only his first day, heck, he only arrived for three hours but everyone welcomed him with big smiles and an impromptu party just because he got a nickname. It was odd but he felt comfortable and at home.

 

“We make things fun here at Seventeen.” Seungcheol said, standing next to him. “Welcome to Seventeen, Dino.”

 


	2. Boo's Great Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungkwan discovers something scandalous.

It was another day at work. Every department was busy making adjustments to the upcoming issue of the magazine. The interns were assigned to design the pages and carry out photo research for the magazine. Their office was relatively quiet except for the occasional tapping sounds from the keyboard and the squeak of their chairs when they moved. Vernon was busy e-mailing photographers seeking permission to use their photographs while Chan was designing the layout of the pages. As usual, Seungkwan was late to work and that’s possibly the reason why the office was quiet.

 

Despite the silence, both Vernon and Chan were comfortable with it. However, if they were honest, they were just savouring the only 20 minutes of silence they could have in a day. Just as the digital clock on the wall displayed 10:15 a.m., Seungkwan came rushing into the room with an excited look on his face.

 

“Guys! I found out something super duper scandalous!” Seungkwan declared with his eyes wide open.

 

“That you might actually get fired for always coming to work late?” Vernon said with a grin.

 

“Excuse me, it’s only 10:15 in the morning don’t you think it’s too early for that attitude of  yours?” Seungkwan snapped back. “Anyway!” He said while motioning his hands.

 

“I found out that,”

 

Both Chan and Vernon knew that Seungkwan is probably the God of workplace rumors and let’s be real, it’s always fun to find out something juicy about your co-workers so they stopped what they were doing to pay full attention to him.

 

“Are you ready for this?” Seungkwan said, hand clasped with eyes full of mischief.

 

“Yes!” Both Vernon and Chan answered simultaneously. The suspense only made them more curious.

 

“The cafeteria might actually serve Jeju black pork and tangerines!” 

 

“What the-” Chan said in disappointment.

 

“In what sense is that scandalous?” Vernon asked. 

 

“Okay, okay, I’m joking.” Seungkwan laughed but the other two interns were not amused at all. “Also, the cafeteria might serve that if they actually read the weekly e-mails I send them about including those in the menu. But here’s the real rumor.”

 

“This better be good.” Chan said.

 

“Wonwoo has a major crush on Mingyu.”

 

“What? No way.” Vernon shook his head. 

 

“Really?” Chan asked, head crooked to the side.

 

“Yes way. Apparently they go way back.” Seungkwan sits down on his chair.

 

“Way back? Holy crap, spill it!” Chan said in excitement.

 

“Okay,” Seungkwan placed his hands on his table and looked back and forth at the faces of his friends. “Apparently they used to go to the same university and Wonwoo actually confessed to Mingyu back then but Mingyu rejected him-”

 

Vernon let out a loud gasp. 

 

“I know right?” Seungkwan said in shock. “Yeah, he rejected him and thought it was a joke because they were like,” He made his voice lower. “Bros and all that shit.”

 

“No wonder Wonwoo is emo to the extremo.” Chan noted. 

 

“Exactly.” Seungkwan snapped his fingers.

 

“But how do you know this?” Vernon asked, pointing his pen towards him.

 

“I was at the pantry and I overheard Jeonghan talking to Wonwoo about how he should ‘confess to him because you’ve not let him go’ so I got curious and decided to stay longer and try to find out who this ‘him’ is and it turned out it was Mingyu! Honestly though, who hasn’t got a crush on Mingyu? I mean let’s be real, that guy is oozing with charisma.”

 

“True.” All of them agreed. 

 

“But hey, he’s not as adorable as you.” Vernon commented nonchalantly at Seungkwan.

 

“Oh,” Seungkwan seemed flustered for a moment. “Everyone loves me, come on.”

 

Chan raised an eyebrow at the sight of this situation.

 

“Anyway, it’s none of my business but I feel like helping Wonwoo out.” Seungkwan said with sincerity.

 

“Me too.” Chan agreed. 

 

“Maybe we can help him plan it all out!” Vernon said, immediately taking a piece of paper from the printer and a pen.

 

“Operation: Get Wonwoo and Mingyu together will start now!” Seungkwan grinned.

 

Soon, the three of them huddled together to plan out a secret plan to get Wonwoo and Mingyu together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this series will consist of little ficlets of them in their workplace! Please comment if you'd like to read more of this? because I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this ahaha. Comment or drop me an ask @ greysoo.tumblr.com/ask!


	3. Jeonghan's Therapy Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan steps in to help his overstressed co-workers.

“What do you mean the model can’t make it for the shoot?” Jihoon asked with an agitated voice. “We’ve got a deadline to meet and we can’t afford any more delays!”

 

“I just got an e-mail from her agency and they said she can’t make it due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’, whatever that means.” Mingyu answered, making air quotes with his fingers. “Also, they can’t send us another model since most of the models we want are booked by others.”

 

“Alright.” Seungcheol said calmly. “How about other agencies?”

 

“I’ve contacted them but they’ve yet to reply.”

 

“At this rate, we’re going to have five empty spreads in the next issue.” Jihoon threw his hands in the air.

 

“Being a grumpy troll won’t miraculously send you a model at the door, you know?” Soonyoung reasoned.

 

“If it did, we’d be done with the entire magazine by now.” Jun said but was immediately shushed by his co-workers. “Well, I’m just saying.” He shrugged.

 

“Okay, okay. It’s not like we’ve never had this problem before. The other agencies will probably reply soon so we’re technically still on schedule.” Seungcheol said, trying to put all of his over-stressed employees at ease.

 

There were only two weeks left before they were scheduled to send in the final draft of the magazine and everyone was stressed out. Once an issue is released, they would immediately start planning for the next issue. To ensure that everything goes smoothly, the would always make a tight schedule to follow but the entire building was shut down for a week due to a routine maintenance which caused many of their shoots to be postponed. Fortunately, the writers could carry out their work from home but the stylists’ schedule were delayed which caused a change in schedule. If there was anyone who followed the schedule more strictly than anyone else, it’d be Jihoon. He’s never the fan of last minute change and the execution of more risky ideas (which were mostly proposed by Soonyoung) as he felt that playing it safe was the key. Now that the entire schedule is messed up, he felt that every string which held his sanity together were breaking off.

 

“Is it just me or is the colour of his face starting to match his hair colour?” Chan whispered to Joshua.

 

Joshua gasped and covered Chan’s mouth with his hand. “Son, you better pray to the good Lord he didn’t hear that!” He hissed in a loud whisper. 

 

Chan gulped and sincerely hoped Jihoon didn’t hear his comment.

 

“Alright,” Seungkwan stood up. “I’ve got a good idea.”

 

Everyone in the meeting room immediately turned their heads towards him, hoping that he could offer a good idea to break the tension in the room.

 

“Why not let Mingyu stand in for the model, I mean look at that guy! Look at that face, wow! Look at that body, wow! Look at that stance, wow!” He made a rectangle with his fingers to mimic a camera. “And Wonwoo can photograph him!” He wiggled his eyebrows at Wonwoo and motioned towards Mingyu.

 

Vernon and Chan groaned simultaneously. Wonwoo was taken aback at Seungkwan’s expression and Mingyu just stood there in confusion.

 

“Sit down, please.” Vernon pulled Seungkwan to his seat. “Why are you playing cupid at a time like this!” He whispered.

 

“I thought it’d be a good opportunity.” Seungkwan whispered back.

 

Vernon shook his head and buried his face in his palms.

 

“You know what? That sounds like a good idea!” Soonyoung stood up from his seat excitedly. “I mean like, Mingyu is here and they could actually have the shoot right now!”

 

“It’s a fashion spread. The designers only gave us female clothes.” Jihoon sighed.

 

“And so? Have you not seen Jaden Smith’s Louis Vuitton campaign? It’s time to challenge the norms!” Soonyoung said.

 

“Yes I have, but no, we can’t go with this idea.” Jihoon retaliated.

 

“Why not?” Soonyoung questioned back. “I’m sure Jeonghan can send an e-mail to the designers asking for the male collection. They made a male collection for this season too, right?”

 

“Yes, they did. I could send them an e-mail today and go collect the garments myself tomorrow.” Jeonghan responded.

 

“See? C’mon Jihoon, loosen up. Things can’t always go by schedule.”

 

Jihoon was silent for a moment. He placed his arm on the table and rested his head on his hand. 

 

“I think this is a pretty good idea, too.” Seungcheol voiced.

 

Jihoon looked deep in thought before responding with, “No.”

 

“Oh my God! Lee Jihoon, stop being an ass!” Soonyoung exclaimed, throwing his head back in frustration.

 

Seokmin clung onto Minghao with fear. Soonyoung was probably the only person who would dare to raise his voice at Jihoon and no one knows what might follow after.

 

“Joshua, can you say like, a quick prayer for us right now?” Seokmin said to Joshua.

 

“Okay, I’m done with this bullshit!” Jeonghan said sternly.

 

For a moment everyone thought it was Jihoon but the voice was far more softer yet stringent at the same time. Jeonghan was usually never the one to step in but every time he did, it was only because things got out of hand.

 

“An angel has come in the form of Jeonghan.” Minghao said with relief.

 

“Everyone, to the studio right this instant!” Jeonghan pointed to the studio with his forefinger and a hand on his hip. “We’re going to have a meditation session.”

 

“What?” Everyone said in unison.

 

“Did I stutter?” He said with the tone of the teacher everyone would fear back in school.

 

And of course, everyone said nothing and obediently walked to the open studio.

 

***

 

“Alright,” Jeonghan said to 12 of them who were seated in two rows. “As everyone could tell from the meeting just now, everyone here is overworked and over-stressed which caused all the unnecessary bickering.”

 

“Now I want all of you to sit crossed leg and close your eyes.” He continued as he sat down himself. “I’m gonna play some nice and calming music.”

 

Everyone crossed their legs and closed their eyes as soft melodic music filled their ears.

 

“Now, everyone sit up straight and breathe rhythmically.” Jeonghan said calmly, with his eyes closed. “Inhale.” He paused for a few seconds. “Then exhale.”

 

“I’m sorry but what’s the difference between breathing rhythmically and breathing normally?” Seokmin asked, with his hands up but eyes closed.

 

“Please save your nonsensical question for later, Seokmin.” Jeonghan answered.

 

“Fill your mind with peace, paradise or however your mind defines the concept of bliss.” He continues.

 

A chorus of hums were heard among everyone.

 

“I’m pretty sure someone of thinking of a naked figure now.” Seungkwan offhandedly commented.

 

At that moment, Wonwoo choked on his saliva but quickly covered it for a cough.

 

No one could see it but Seungkwan, Vernon and Chan were smirking.

 

Unknowingly, they sat there for half an hour listening to the soft music with a clear mind. When the last track ended, everyone opened their eyes and let out a satisfied exhale.

 

“That was really nice.” Seungcheol commented. “We should do it more often.”

 

“I agree.” Jun nodded. “I didn’t think it’d work but I could get my head off everything that was stressing me out.”

 

“Sorry for screaming at you earlier, Jihoon.” Soonyoung apologized. 

 

“It’s alright. I’m sorry too. I can be stubborn at times but I just want the best for the magazine.” Jihoon said. “Anyway, thank you, Jeonghan for making us do this. We really needed it.”

 

“I’m glad you all found that session to helpful.” Jeonghan smiled.

 

“Guys!” Mingyu shouted from his table. “The agency replied! They’ll be sending in a few models tomorrow. This is great!”

 

Everyone cheered in joy but Seungkwan could see from the corner of his eye that Wonwoo was slightly disappointed. 

 

“Aw, buddy.” Seungkwan patted on Wonwoo’s shoulder. “There’ll be a next time.”

 

“Yeah, man.” Vernon appears on his other side. “We’re rooting for you.”

 

“And Valentines is around the corner.” Chan appeared from the back.

 

“You guys are creeping me out.” Wonwoo pushed their hands aside and walked away.

 

“He’ll thank us one day.” Seungkwan crossed his arms as the other two nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many of you wanted a continuation so I'll continue writing this series. Thank you for the comments, I really really appreciate the feedback. As always, don't hesitate to comment or send me an ask @ greysoo.tumblr.com/ask


	4. Seventeen's Secret Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The interns organize a Secret Valentine event for everyone in the office who is single af.  
> !!!meanie+verkwan!!!

“And that’s it for today’s meeting.” Seungcheol said after going through the last slide of his presentation. “But before everyone leaves, the interns have an exciting announcement to make!” He gestured towards the interns.

 

The three interns stood up and walked towards the front. Chan proceeded to plug his pen drive into the main computer while Vernon carried a pink box into the meeting room. Seungkwan fixed his collar as he waited for them to set everything up. After getting an “OK” sign from Chan, Seungkwan coughed to get everyone’s attention.

 

“Everyone, may I present you with, Seventeen’s Secret Valentine event!”

 

Chan tapped on his mouse and a picture of Seungkwan photoshopped as a cupid shooting heart arrows appeared on the screen along with the title of the event.

 

“Oh my God.” Everyone gasped but each had different reactions on their faces, ranging from pure excitement to fear and embarrassment. 

 

“We approved of an idea, not a naked baby with Seungkwan’s face on it!” Jihoon remarked with a bewildered look on his face.

 

“I think it’s pretty cute!” Seungcheol grinned. “Look at him, shooting the itty bitty hearts!”

 

“At this point, I don’t know which is more cringeworthy; Cupid Seungkwan or Seungcheol acting cutesy.” Jeonghan said.

 

“Okay, all judgements aside,” Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “let me explain how this works.”

 

“Is there an option to not participate in this event?” Minghao asked.

 

“Look, are you going to cooperate with me or not?” Seungkwan questioned back, with a clap in between each word.

 

“Sorry.” 

 

“As we all know, everyone here is single AF.” Seungkwan continued.

 

A chorus of groans and sighs filled the meeting room.

 

“Why do you have to bring that up?” Soonyoung sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think all of us want to be reminded that there’s a possibility that we might be single forever and die alone two days before Valentines!” He said, feigning tears while Seungcheol offered him a consoling pat on the back.

 

“Which is why we’ll be hosting a Secret Valentine! It works exactly like Secret Santa, so everyone will get a Valentines Day present and it will remain anonymous unless someone wants to make a move at their Secret Valentine.” He looked at Wonwoo and then Mingyu with a menacing look.

 

“Is there a budget for the gifts or can we spend freely?” Joshua inquired.

 

“Good question!” Seungkwan pointed out. “The gifts must be at least $10 and there’s no maximum amount.”

 

“If I may add, anything fancy is unnecessary. It’s the thought that counts.” Jihoon added.

 

“Damn, Jihoon!” Everyone hollered. 

 

“But why do I feel like Jihoon is just going to give his recipient $10?” Jun said.

 

“Very likely, he gave me $20 for my birthday last year.” Seokmin nodded.

 

“Hey, I provide you your salary and it’s the thought that counts.” Jihoon said, defending himself.

 

“Fair point.” Seokmin said.

 

On his notepad, Jihoon quickly canceled out $10 as one of his gift ideas.

 

“I think everyone should draw the names now.” Vernon voiced. “I wrote everyone’s names here so if you get yours, just throw it back in and get another one. I’ve shook the box many times so please don’t mess it up with your hands.” He added the last bit hastily and went over to each person in the room to let them pick a name out of the box.

 

“Remember, guys. No exchange of recipients!” Seungkwan reminded.

 

***

 

“We only have less than two days to get our gifts.” Jeonghan sighed. “I can’t think of what to get for my kid.”

 

“You’ll think of something soon.” Mingyu answered as he typed something onto his laptop. At the corner of his eye, he saw Wonwoo being more gloomy than usual. “Wonwoo, what’s wrong?”

 

Wonwoo looked up in surprise from the sudden question. “Oh, nothing. Just stressed out over the Secret Valentine, that’s all.”

 

“Like Jihoon said, it’s the thought that counts. I’m sure your recipient will be grateful no matter what your gift is.” Mingyu offered his thought.

 

“Yeah.” Wonwoo nodded, voice sounding tense. “I’m gonna go to the pantry to get some coffee.”

 

“Oh, I’ll come, I want some coffee too.” Mingyu stood up from his seat.

 

“No,” Wonwoo stopped him. “Uh, I’ll get it for you. Black coffee with half a cup of milk and two packets of sugar separately at the side right?”

 

“Yes and-”

 

“Make sure the cup is heated beforehand.” Wonwoo continued his sentence.

 

“Yup, that’s it. Thank you.” Mingyu sat back down and watched Wonwoo walk out from the studio.

 

“Not only does he know how you like your coffee but also how you like your cup to be slightly warm.” Jeonghan chuckled. “Oh, Wonwoo.”

 

“Yeah, I’m surprised he remembers.” Mingyu whispered to himself.

 

***

 

“Guys, I have a huge problem.” Chan announced.

 

“What’s up?” Vernon asked.

 

“I know we’re not supposed to disclose who we got but we made Secret Valentine to get Wonwoo and Mingyu together, right?”

 

“Don’t tell me you got one of them.” Seungkwan said.

 

“I got Mingyu.”

 

“Oh no!” Seungkwan cried with his hands on his face. “Vernon, I told you strategically place the names in the box so they would get each other!”

 

“Well, yeah I tried moving the box to the far left when it was their turns but logically speaking it’s still pretty impossible!” Vernon exclaimed with both his palms facing upwards. “Do you think Mingyu got someone else?”

 

“Oh no!” Chan cried. “I told you we should have went with an electric generator! We could have hacked the system.”

  
“Alright, at least now we know Chan got Mingyu and I’m sure Wonwoo is always in for a change. We just need to exchange it!” Seungkwan said. “No need to panic.”

 

“But you specifically said not to exchange the names.” Chan reminded. 

 

“I said that half an hour ago. I said it, it’s the past so it doesn’t matter anymore and my motto is always-” Seungkwan stopped to think. “Always believe in the present! So as the official organizer I’m saying that you can exchange Mingyu’s name between you and Wonwoo because that’s our new current and present rule, not the past because we don’t believe in the past.”

 

“Since when was that your motto?” Vernon asked, confused.

 

“Vernon, can you just work with me and be in the present?” Seungkwan said, tapping his forefinger on the table.

 

“Let’s just quickly look for Wonwoo and make him exchange his recipient with mine.” Chan said and walked out of the office. Seungkwan and Vernon followed suit.

 

***

 

While they were walking to the studio, they passed by the pantry and saw Wonwoo making coffee by the coffee machine.

 

“There you are!” Chan exclaimed.

 

“Here I am.” Wonwoo shrugged. 

 

Seungkwan followed after and Vernon stood by the door as a lookout. 

 

“What are you kids doing?” Wonwoo interrogated. “Why do you guys always come as a trio and like to closely surround me?”

 

“We have no time for chit chat and you’ll surely be grateful for our presence. Also, may I comment that your coffee is just about as black as your soul?” Seungkwan said after noticing the cup of coffee in Wonwoo’s hands.

 

“Leave me alone.” Wonwoo tried to push their hands away.

 

“Look, we know you’re upset because you’re not Mingyu’s Secret Valentine.” Seungkwan said in a hush manner. “This information is supposed to be disclosed but we don’t believe in the past.”

 

“No, we definitely don’t.” Chan shook his head.

 

“And Chan here, got Mingyu so quickly exchange your recipient with him and let’s get this over with.”

 

Wonwoo just stood their in silence, unable to utter a single response. Too much information was said to him within that 10 second period and thousands of questions flooded his head but most importantly, how did they know he has a crush on Mingyu? That was top secret information which Jeonghan only knows because they’ve been working together for so many years but Jeonghan would never tell anyone else. Wonwoo felt threatened because no one else must know about this and the only thing to do was the reprimand the statement.

 

“Why would I want to be Mingyu’s Secret Valentine?” Wonwoo acted up. “Also, isn’t it a rule to never disclose who your recipient is and to carry out exchanges?”

 

“Cut the act, Wonwoo.” Seungkwan scoffed. “It takes a professional to know a professional.” He brushed his hair aside. “Also, we may not have worked here long enough but we notice things.”

 

“Damn right we notice things!” Chan repeated.

 

“Notice what?” Wonwoo looked around anxiously.

 

“We know you like Mingyu and we genuinely want to help you. Asking how and why we know this is for another day but for now this is as much as we can do.” Seungkwan said with softer tone. “Quickly tell Chan who you got and we’ll pretend this never happened - unless you got Chan. Did you?”

 

Wonwoo shook his head at the question but he didn’t know how to properly react to this entire situation. The only reason why he was so bumped out earlier was because he didn’t draw Mingyu’s name but before him now were a group of juniors who were determined to help him get a second chance at love. He called Vernon over from the pantry entrance to give three of them a hug.

 

“We’re being hugged by Wonwoo, guys!” Vernon said. “Quick, Chan take a picture.”

 

A shutter sound was heard but Wonwoo was too happy to even care.

 

“Thank you for the exchange.” Wonwoo smiled.

 

“Honestly, I never thought I’d live to the day to see Wonwoo smile.” Chan said.

 

“What’s going on?” Another voice came from the entrance. The four of them turned around to see that it was Seungcheol. “Jeon Wonwoo looking chirpy! Isn’t this a sight? What happened?”

 

“Uh, we...”

 

“Wonwoo made us coffee and we told him it was really good! That’s why he’s so happy!” Seungkwan made up on the spot.

 

“Oh yes! This coffee is amazing.” Chan said, taking the cup from Wonwoo’s hand to take a sip before remembering that he hates coffee. His face scrunched up as the bitterness of the coffee danced in his mouth. “Yup, good cuppa.” He forced out.

 

“This is why it’s incredibly important to always compliment each other no matter how big or small the achievement is!” Seungcheol smiled and patted Wonwoo’s shoulder. “Good job, Wonwoo! Make me of one of those when you’re free!” He gestured a thumbs up at them before walking out of the pantry.

 

“Ugh! I hate coffee.” Chan said before gulping down a bottle of water.

 

“Aw man, I gotta make another cup now.” Wonwoo sulked. 

 

“Alright we’ll get going now.” Seungkwan dragged Chan and Vernon out of the pantry. “This never happened!” He said in a loud whisper.

 

Wonwoo smiled as he watched the trio stumble back to their office.

 

***

 

 

“Happy Valentines Day, everyone!” Seungkwan sang as he skipped into the office. He carried a fake bow and arrow and wore handmade wings over his shoulder which he made together with Chan and Vernon at his house the night before. Both boys followed behind him, each holding onto a basket of flower petals which they threw into the offices of each department.

 

“Why do we always agree to his ideas?” Chan sighed.

 

“I guess it’s fun to do unexpected things.” Vernon shrugged as threw more petals into the writers’ office.

 

“Remember to place your gifts at the pantry later! Make sure no one sees you because that’ll ruin the fun and we’ll move the gifts to the studio after work for the exchange session!” Seungkwan reminded the writers before skipping to the editors’ office.

 

“At lest he’s not naked.” Minghao stated. “Could have been worse.”

 

All of them hummed in agreement before continuing with their work. 

 

***

 

“Yoohoo! Happy Valentines Day my dear editors!” Seungkwan cried. 

 

“You’re gonna pick up all the petals, right?” Jihoon sternly asked without looking away from his computer. 

 

“Yes, we will.” The three of them answered with their heads down.

 

“Aw, come on, Jihoon! It’s fun!” Soonyoung said as he took a handful of petals from the basket and threw them in the air. “Don’t you feel like you’re in that anime we used to watch? Moonlight Angel?”

 

The petals landed on Jihoon’s head and all over his desk. The interns froze as their fear what could happen next.

 

“That anime and the OST was damn good.” Jihoon nodded. A few seconds later, female vocals blasted from Seungcheol’s computer and Jihoon and Soonyoung started singing along.

 

“Well.” Seungkwan uttered. His bosses were jamming over an OST from an anime entitled Moonlight Angel and this probably topped his list of awkward encounters at work. “We should go back to our office.”

 

“We definitely should.” Chan agreed.

 

“Hold on! I’m recording this!” Vernon said with his phone held up to document the sight but was dragged out of the office shortly after by his two friends.

 

***

 

It was finally the time to exchange their gifts. Office hours have ended and they’ve all gathered at the studio. Some sat on the chairs while some sat on the floor as they waited for the interns to bring the bag of gifts to the studio. 

 

Moments later, Chan carried in the bag filled with gifts while Vernon carried in three boxes separately. They were probably from the refrigerator because tiny condensations were seen on the transparent part of the boxes.

 

Admittedly they were all pretty excited at the sight of the gifts because well, who doesn’t like gifts and a good surprise?

 

“Alright, I know everyone here is super excited, but I feel that as the Head of Editors I should give a speech.” Seungcheol stood up.

 

Everyone was dejected knowing that they might have to wait for at least 30 minutes before they could exchange their gifts.

 

“As we all know, Valentines is a day where we celebrate our other halves, our partners, our soulmates.”

 

“Oh my God.” Jun groaned.

 

“Many of us have yet to find that other person but it’s okay. We’re all still young and there’s still so much more ahead of us! Eventually, the time will come when-”

 

“Alright the time has come for you to end your speech.” Soonyoung interrupted. “Now let’s exchange our gifts!”

 

Cheers erupted from everyone and Jihoon patted on Soonyoung’s back for stopping Seungcheol before his speech gets too corny.

 

“Can we guess who our Secret Valentine is?” Seokmin asked.

 

“Only if you can guess it within two tries.” Vernon responded. 

 

“I’m going to take the first gift out.” Seungkwan reached into the bag and took out a rectangular gift wrapped in plain wrapping paper. “It says ‘For Joshua!’”

 

Everyone cheered as Joshua reached over to receive the gift from Seungkwan. 

 

“Whoa, I wonder what is this?” He searched the gift for an opening. He unwrapped it to unveil a book entitled, “A Guide to Modern Lingo and Trends.” Everyone laughed at he read the title of the book.

 

“Oh I definitely know who gave me this!” He grinned. “Jun, right!”

 

Jun nodded. “You better read it from cover to cover!” He said in a teasing manner.

 

“Thank you, I will.” Joshua laughed. “Be prepared when I start shooting coolio slangs at you!”

 

“Wow, Josh you really need that book.” Jeonghan said as everyone fell silent from Joshua’s earlier statement.

 

“Next gift!” Seungkwan reached inside the bag again. This time, it was a fairly large box. “Oh, I wonder who will be the lucky one. This gift is huge! And the lucky one is,” Seungkwan had to carry it out with two hands to look at the card. “Lee Chan!”

 

Chan’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s mine? Are you sure?”

 

“It says here Lee Chan!” Seungkwan showed.

 

Chan took the huge box over to his place. It was heavy and he opened it to reveal a branded suit jacket. Everyone exclaimed in awe.

 

“Put it on, Dino!” Seungcheol said.

 

“Whoa! Lookin good!”

 

“Wear this everyday, man!”

 

“You finally don’t look 15!”

 

A series of compliments were relayed once he put the suit jacket on. It fitted nicely on him, making him look mature and sophisticated.

 

“I have two people in my head right now and I’m sure one of them gave me this.” Chan said thoughtfully. “My first guess is, Seungcheol?”

 

“Oh, it’s not me.” Seungcheol shook his head and waved his hand.

 

“Oh yeah, you would have written, ‘To: Dino’ instead of Lee Chan” Chan contemplated. “Then my last and final guess is Jeonghan?”

 

“Yup,” Jeonghan nodded. “I got it for you.”

 

Chan immediately went over to give Jeonghan a hug. “I felt that this suit jacket would be a suitable memento for his transition from a uni kid to a someone in the working class. Plus, he followed me to the designer’s office and I caught him looking at the suits.”

 

“As expected of Jeonghan, a lot of thought has been put into that gift.” Soonyoung complimented.

 

“Next one is for,” Seungkwan pulled out another rectangular gift. “Jihoon!”

 

“It looks like a book.” Jun commented. “I’d know.” He laughed.

 

As soon as Jihoon unwrapped it, a tiny smirk appeared on his face. “A Guide on Choosing The Right Gift.” He read.

 

Again, everyone erupted in laughter.

 

“Lee Seokmin!” Jihoon yelled.

 

“Why me? Someone else might have gotten it for you!”

 

“I’m 200% sure it’s you.”

 

Seokmin reached over to give Jihoon a light hug. "It'll come in handy, trust me!"

 

Seungkwan then took out a tiny box. “Seems light.” He stated. “It’s for Soonyoung!”

 

“Damn,” Soonyoung took the box and shook it. “I have a bad feeling about this.” He opened the wrapper to reveal a box of hair dye and a gift card worth $100.

 

“Jihoon, you better read the book Seokmin gave you now!” Soonyoung said, pointing at Jihoon. “You’re awful at this! It’s Valentines Day not Fix-Yourself-Day!” 

 

“Dude, have you seen the state of your roots?” Jihoon said, causing laughter. “Plus, a $100 gift card, you can buy anything with it. Like about 10 boxes of hair dye!”

 

Soonyoung just shook his head. “Thanks, Jihoon.”

 

“I love how we all can immediately guess who our Secret Valentine is.” Seungcheol laughed. “Everyone’s gift represents themselves so well.”

 

“And this is for Vernon!” Seungkwan declared, passing the boy the box. 

 

The boy unwrapped his gift to find a Deadpool figurine. “Ah, yeah!” He fist bumped the air. “Whoever gave me this, thank you!” 

 

“You’re not going to guess?” Seungkwan asked. 

 

“Nah, I know very well who it is.” Vernon answered.

 

“Alright, let’s move on.” Seungkwan said. “Oh, how about these delectables?” He carried the bright yellow box. “Oh, it smells like cake and it’s for Mingyu!”

 

“Oh?” Mingyu perked up. Seungkwan walked over to Mingyu to pass him the box. He placed it on his lap for support and opened it. “The honey cake from Milk and Honey?”

 

“Isn’t that the cafe where you used to work part time back in your university days?” Jeonghan asked, hand hovering over for a slice.

 

“Yeah, it is.” Mingyu answered and slapped Jeonghan’s hand. “Hey!”

 

“Opps.” 

 

“Aren’t you going to guess who your Secret Valentine is?  He's probably just as sweet as the cake!” Seungkwan cooed.

 

“That entire statement was so cringeworthy my fingers and toes curled at the same time.” Minghao cringed.

 

“Uhm, people who knew I worked at Milk and Honey...” Mingyu trailed. “Soonyoung?”

 

Soonyoung shook his head. “You have one more guess.”

 

“Joshua?”

 

“It’s a no from me too.”

 

“Aw man, I’m really bad at this. Sorry! Thank you for this gift, though, Mr. Secret Valentine!” Mingyu chuckled, glancing at Wonwoo.

 

Seungkwan, Vernon and Chan looked at each other and then Wonwoo who was avoiding eye contact with everyone.

 

One by one, the gifts were revealed. Seokmin received a handwritten letter and the entire Harry Potter book series which he immediately knew was from Minghao because of his handwritting. Jeonghan then got a ticket to watch his favourite designer’s show in Italy. He managed to guess that Seungcheol was his Secret Valentine at his first guess and was sure it was more of a business trip rather than a gift but was grateful nonetheless. Jun received a pack of Cards Against Humanity which they decided to play at his house once the gift exchange was over. It was especially easy to guess who got Seungcheol his gift because apart from a tupperware of home cooked marinated crab, there was a picture of Seungkwan with the caption, “Best Intern" and Minghao received a knitted sweater along with a mini book keychain filled with motivational proverbs. Guessing who got him that was a no brainer and they immediately moved on to the next gift.

 

“Whoops! We almost forgot this little blue box right here.” Seungkwan said. “It was from the fridge too.” He turned the box around to look for a name but couldn’t find any.

 

“Maybe you should open it?” Vernon suggested.

 

Seungkwan gasped when he opened the box. Inside were little chocolates which spelled his name in different pastel colours. “Aw, is this from you?” He asked Vernon.

 

He nodded and everyone cooed at how cute the gift was. Seungkwan seemed to genuinely like it and seeing Seungkwan marvel at his gift made his heart beat a little faster than usual.

 

“Lastly, this super tiny box.” Seungkwan overturned the bag to drop the last content out. “Wonwoo!”

 

The box was slid over to Wonwoo who was sitting on the opposite side, still looking slightly sorrow from what happened earlier. With a deadpan, he opened the box.

 

“Knowing that there might be no reaction from him, we should start clapping and cheering.” Soonyoung suggested and everyone followed.

 

“A fully expensed meal for one at The Vineyard.” He held up the paper.

 

“It’s that fancy Italian restaurant!” Jun pointed out. “A lot of celebrities swear by that place.”

 

“Lucky you, Wonwoo!” Joshua nudged him lightly.

 

“Now that we’re done, Cards Against Humanity at my place for anyone who wants to come!” Jun declared.

 

They carried their gifts along with them to pack up and head to Jun’s place. There was no one in the studio except for the interns and Wonwoo.

 

“Hey, at least you have an all paid fancy meal at The Vineyard from him, if that makes it better.” Seungkwan said to Wonwoo.

 

“I’m sure he liked the cake. It was really meaningful.” Vernon added.

 

“Yeah, and I saw him looking at you the entire time. Don’t give up!” Chan said with a balled fist.

 

“Thank you, guys. This really means a lot.” Wonwoo thanked them. “Well, I guess I should go spend this voucher.” 

 

***

 

As Wonwoo walked to the carpark, he saw a familiar figure standing next to his car. The figure was a little over 6ft, his hair neatly gelled, wore an all too familiar coat which Wonwoo once bought off a store for a birthday present and a hand held tightly onto a yellow cake box.

 

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you going to Jun’s house?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“Nah, I never intended to go.” Mingyu shrugged. “Plus, who’s going to pay for your meal later if I go?” He smirked.

 

“This hasn’t been paid yet?” Wonwoo looked at his paper but then realized it was just a handwritten voucher. “It said it’s for one meal only, though.”

 

“Can I join you? It’s Valentines Day, you obviously can’t go alone.”

 

“What?” Wonwoo stuttered. Did Mingyu just asked him out? 

 

“It’s a date, dummy.” Mingyu chuckled. “And we can have this cake you bought for desert later at my place.”

 

“I thought you didn’t know it was me?” 

 

“Of course I knew. I knew the moment Vernon carried in the yellow box from Milk and Honey. I was just playing with you to see how you would react. I felt bad though, because you were just sulking the entire time after that. I’m sorry.”

 

Wonwoo smiled. He stepped aside and opened the door for Mingyu to get in the car. At that moment, he felt like the happiest man on earth.

 

***

 

“You didn’t make these chocolates yourself, did you?” Seungkwan asked as he looked at the chocolates in the box. They were riding the subway on the way  back home and managed to get seats.

 

“It would have been a disaster if I made them.” Vernon answered honestly.

 

“That’s true.” Seungkwan agreed without a doubt. “And your gift probably fitted Valentines Day the most.”

 

“You’re welcome.” Vernon smiled.

 

“You like your Deadpool figurine?” Seungkwan asked.

 

“Yeah, it’s really cool. Chan must have saw me looking through the catalogue.” Vernon said as he looked at the box.

 

“I’ve got something to give you too.” Seungkwan reached inside his bag and passed two sheets of paper to Vernon.

 

“No way! Movie tickets to watch Deadpool! How? I thought they were all sold out and these are good seats too!”

 

“Well,” Seungkwan flipped his hair. “I am Boo Seungkwan after all. Occasional diva, full time angel.”

 

Until that very moment, Vernon thought his feelings for Seungkwan was merely a phase but now it's probably more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day everyone! This chapter is longer than the previous chapters and since it's Valentines Day, I incorporated some fluff in this chapter!! (i'm sorry if it didn't turn out like fluff...) I hope everyone liked the Meanie and Verkwan/Seungsol moments hehe. Also, I've only participated in Secret Santa once and this was how we did it so I'm sorry if it's not how one usually goes by it ahh. As always, tell me what you think about this chapter and feel free to ask/talk to me about anything @ greysoo.tumblr.com/ask


	5. Birthday Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seventeen celebrates Seokmin and Vernon's birthday which turned out to be a night full of embarrassing and memorable events.

**To:** joshualuvssanime@hotmail.com, junhui610@gmail.com, minghao888@gmail.com, kmg970406@gmail.com, j30nw0nw00@gmail.com, yoon1004@gmail.com, best.seungkwan@gmail.com, michaelchanson@gmail.com

 **CC:** lee.jihoon@gmail.com, swagyoung@gmail.com

 **From:** s.coups@gmail.com

 **Title:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 

Since this is a personal and private event, I’ve decided to e-mail everything that has been discussed earlier to everyone’s personal e-mails!

 

Venue: Seungcheol’s Place

Time: 8pm

Date: 18th Feb (Thursday)

 

Jihoon, Soonyoung: Grilled meat

Mingyu, Wonwoo: Drinks (No alcohol!)

Joshua, Jun: Pizza

Jeonghan, Minghao: Side dishes

Seungkwan, Chan: Other party necessities; hats, deco etc.

Seungcheol: Cake (Store bought don’t worry) Seaweed soup (Will try to make, tips please)

 

Make sure the birthday boys don’t know about this! Also, if anyone is allergic to anything, please state in the replies!

 

From

Seungcheol.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** lee.jihoon@gmail.com

 

Noted.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** best.seungkwan@gmail.com

 

Vernon is allergic to peanuts and I’m allergic to Joshua’s e-mail address.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From** : junhui610@gmail.com

 

WHERE THE LIE THO????

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** kmg970406@gmail.com

 

That e-mail address is cringeworthy on so many levels.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** minghao88@gmail.com

 

Am I the only one who’s surprised it’s anime instead of God?

 

 

 **To:** s.coups@gmail.com

 **From:** hong.joshua@gmail.com

 

 **Title** : URGENT

 

Seungcheol, please replace that e-mail with my current one! Delete my previous e-mail address from the entire system, please!

 

 

 **Forwarded to:** hong.joshua@gmail.com

 **To:** junhui610@gmail.com, minghao888@gmail.com, kmg970406@gmail.com, j30nw0nw00@gmail.com, yoon1004@gmail.com, best.seungkwan@gmail.com, michaelchanson@gmail.com

 **CC:** lee.jihoon@gmail.com, swagyoung@gmail.com

 **From:** s.coups@gmail.com

 **Title:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 

Whoops! Sorry about that, Joshua.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** swagyoung@gmail.com

 

Never let joshualuvsanime@hotmail.com die.

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** best.seungkwan@gmail.com

 

Team #joshualuvsanime@hotmail.com 

 

 

 **In reply to** : DK & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** hong.joshua@gmail.com

 

Is no one going to call out Soonyoung for his e-mail address? I mean, swagyoung?

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** junhui610@gmail.com

 

tru, but #joshualuvsanime@hotmail.com > swagyoung

 

 

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** j30nw0nw00@gmail.com

 

Hello everyone.

 

I’m fine with the stated list.

 

Seungcheol, I’ve asked my mother for her seaweed soup recipe and have attached a copy of the recipe in this e-mail.

 

[Attachment: soup.docx]

 

From

Wonwoo

 

 

 **In reply to:** DK  & Vernon’s Bday Party.

 **From:** s.coups@gmail.com

 

Thank you Wonwoo! That’s very nice of you. 

 

Kids, please stop teasing Joshua! That’s not very nice.

 

 

“Is everyone this savage when it comes to e-mails?” Chan asked after reading the thread of replies from the e-mail Seungcheol sent out earlier.

 

“Not all the time but when we do, we go all the way.” Seungkwan answered with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Plus, it’s always fun to mess with Joshua.”

 

Seconds later, muffled shrieks were heard across the hallway. Loud thumps vibrated throughout the floor as the shrieks became more audible. 

 

“Never let joshualuvsanime@hotmail.com die!” Soonyoung screamed while he ran as fast as he could from Joshua who was running after him.

 

“That’s a lot coming from swagyoung!” Joshua screamed back, hand reaching for Soonyoung to tackle him.

 

“What’s all of that about?” Vernon asked, taking his earphones out. 

 

“Two grown men running after each other, a typical day at the office.” Chan said before taking a sip of his tea. “Jihoon’s out too, that’s why.”

 

“No wonder.” Vernon laughed and put on his earphones again.

 

This time, a louder thump was heard which practically sent the whole ground shaking. 

 

“Kwon Soonyoung is down!” Joshua laughed menacingly. 

 

“Holy crap! I think you’re choking him!” A voice which sounded like Jeonghan’s exclaimed.

 

Chan and Seungkwan looked at each other in shock before rushing out of their office and Vernon immediately followed suit upon seeing their reactions. Everyone was out of their office to see Soonyoung lying unconsciously on Joshua’s lap.

 

Mingyu crouched next to Soonyoung and lightly tapped him on the face but there was no response. 

 

“Soonyoung!” Joshua shook Soonyoung violently. 

 

“He’s still breathing and it’s steady.” Mingyu took Soonyoung’s hands to check his pulse. “His heart rate has accelerated but that’s probably just from all the running earlier so technically, he should be fine.”

 

“Whoa, how do you know all these?” Seungcheol asked with awe.

 

“I was part of my school’s Red Cross Society.” Mingyu shrugged. 

 

“Wow, he’s so hot.” Wonwoo whispered to himself but the comment was heard by Seungkwan who let out an exaggerated cough.

 

“But, why is he unconscious?” Chan asked.

 

“Does he need CPR?” Joshua asked, voice shaking with concern. He wasted no time and leaned in. At the same time, Jihoon walked into the office to see everyone huddled around Joshua who was leaning in towards Soonyoung’s face.

 

“What’s going on?” Jihoon cried seconds before Soonyoung pushed Joshua away.

 

“What? You’re okay!” Joshua pulled Soonyoung back to give him a hug. “Thank you, God!”

 

“Of course I’m okay!” Soonyoung said. “I’ve been faking it the whole time and was gonna wake up suddenly to scare you but-”

 

“As long as you’re alive.” Joshua tightened the hug.

 

“Incredible, I can’t believe I got everything on video.” Vernon laughed.

 

“Epitome of prank almost gone wrong.” Jun shook his head before heading back to the office.

 

“What happened?” Jihoon asked again.

 

“I’ll fill you in later.” Seungcheol laughed and shook his head.

 

***

 

About an hour has passed since the party started. The birthday boys were pleasantly surprised with the party that was organized for them. They thought they were going over to Seungcheol’s home to go through some final editing for the magazine but were then surprised by their co-workers who jumped out and screamed “Happy Birthday!” at them. The food was great (even the seaweed soup, thanks to Mingyu), the birthday boys got caked and everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone chipped in to buy the birthday presents for them. Vernon received a new set of headphones while Seokmin got a coat from his favourite brand. Seungcheol’s living room was promptly transformed into a karaoke room as Seokmin and Vernon sang a trot song together. Everyone laughed their hearts out at the duo who were goofing around and Seungkwan who would occasionally jump in and belt out exaggerated high notes.

 

“Guys, we should play a game.” Seokmin suggested. “Let’s play truth or dare.”

 

“Truth or dare?” Joshua questioned. “This feels like summer camp.”

 

“I’m down!” Seungcheol said enthusiastically with a clap.

 

As everyone agreed to the game suggestion, they all gathered around the living room. Some sat on the sofa while some sat on the floor. Seokmin went to the kitchen to retrieve two plastic bags with a convenience store’s logo printed on it.

 

“Oh shit’s about to go down.” Jeonghan commented at the sight of the bags.

 

“Aw, come on. Seokmin! I said no alcohol, we have three minors here, including the birthday boy himself!” Seungcheol said, putting his arm over Vernon protectively.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered. I bought cider for them so they could join in the fun!” Seokmin took out bottles of cider from the bag.

 

“I’m fine with it, really.” Vernon assured. Seungkwan and Chan nodded along in agreement.

 

“We’re cool with it. I mean, we’re university students. We’ve seen worse.” Seungkwan waved his hand.

 

“Yay!’ Seokmin cheered. He took out the cans of beer from the plastic bag to pass it around.

 

“Oh man.” Jihoon said after taking his share from Minghao. “I’m going to have so much regrets the next day.”

 

“It’s okay, no one will remember.” Soonyoung said. “Well, except for the interns since they’ll be the only sober ones.”

 

“Whatever that happens later will not be discussed at work. Whatever happens here remains here. Cool?” Jun suggested.

 

Everyone nodded and made a pact to never talk about it if everyone becomes shitfaced and embarrassing things happen.

 

At first it started off innocently, with questions like “Who and when was your last kiss?” and “Would you be a sugar baby for a night for a million dollars?” and dares like “I dare you to go to the balcony and scream, ‘Dick’ as loud as you can.” and “I dare you to prank call Dominos.” Every time someone failed to carry out the dare properly or failed to answer honestly, they would be forced to take a large sip from their drink. Obviously, they wouldn’t let the person get away with it by pushing them to drink more.

 

And soon enough, everyone except for the interns got pretty drunk.

 

“Alright, alright, alright.” Jihoon slurred while making odd hand motions. “Alright!” He shouted. 

 

“What?” Soonyoung shouted back.

 

“I need to pee.” Jihoon declared. He shakily got up and stumbled to the bathroom. Seungcheol started laughing at the sight of Jihoon walking to the bathroom for no reason. In fact, he just started laughing at everything and anything the moment alcohol entered his system.

 

“Sure feels good to be sober.” Seungkwan said at the sight of his co-workers who were drunk. Joshua was out cold after his fourth can. His head rested on the edge of the sofa while one hand held onto his empty can. 

 

“Hurry back!” Jeonghan called. “This is about to get more fun.”

 

“Whoa, you have really high tolerance.” Chan said to Jeonghan who was probably the only one among them who could still stand on both legs without wobbling down. 

 

“It runs in the family.” Jeonghan shrugged. 

 

“Shit!” Jihoon returned from the bathroom. “I think it _weeeeeent_ all over the _placceeeeeeeee_ ” He sang.

 

“We don’t wanna know how your pee was all over the place, Jihoon!” Jun rolled his eyes.

 

“Feelings.” Wonwoo voiced. “They’re all over the place too. What are feelings exactly? Why do we feel things? What are we trying to achieve with these feelings?”

 

“Babe,” Mingyu put his hand over Wonwoo’s mouth. “keep quiet.” He let his hand fall and lowered his body to rest on Wonwoo’s shoulder.

 

“Damn, ain’t no way I’m not recording this.” Vernon said excitedly as he reached for his phone.

 

“The ship is sailing itself!” Chan said. 

 

“Kids, this is what you do.” Seungkwan said, reaching for Wonwoo’s phone to take a picture and set it as the lockscreen.

 

Chan looked at Seungkwan with amazement and gave him a high 5.

 

Minghao then says something in Mandarin with rapid hand motions.

 

“What did he say?” Soonyoung asked.

 

“He said to quickly get on with the game.” Jun answered. 

 

“Spin the bottle!” Seokmin stretched his hand out, hitting Joshua on his face.

 

“Dare!” Joshua screamed upon being accidentally hit by Seokmin but passing out right after.

 

“Spin _ittttttttt_.” Jihoon slurred.

 

Seungcheol took the empty cider bottle and spun it. It landed on Mingyu and he started chuckling. Soon it evolved into full-blown laughter and he started to hit the people around him.

 

“Ah, this is why we don’t bring you out for drinks right, Seungcheol?” Jeonghan sighed as Seungcheol continued his fits of laughter which has now been reduced to soft giggles.

 

Since the bottle landed on Mingyu, everyone hollered, “Mingyu! Truth or dare?” 

 

Mingyu was still resting his head on Wonwoo’s shoulder, hand lazily tracing Wonwoo’s knee and thigh. “Dare.” He said.

 

“I dare Mingyu to,” Seungcheol composed himself. “kiss the person next to him.” Seungcheol said before starting another round of chuckles.

 

It was obvious enough the person next to Mingyu was Wonwoo but everything was such a haze that they didn’t know if it was going to happen or not. Mingyu sat up straight and looked at Wonwoo.

 

“Kiss him?” He asked. “Okay.”

 

Suddenly, everyone except for Wonwoo seemed aware of the situation. Seungcheol stopped his laughing fits, Seokmin sat up straight and Jun just stared. They didn’t think Mingyu would do it. He might be intoxicated but there was still a stream of consciousness going through his head. Jeonghan knew for a fact that Mingyu had pretty high tolerance too and noticed that his pupils weren’t exactly dilated.

 

Mingyu placed his hand on the nape of Wonwoo’s neck. Wonwoo seemed to be unaware of what’s about to happen. His eyelids were half closed, vision was hazy but he could make out that a face was incredibly close to him and a hand was on his neck. Everything came together when he felt something soft against his lips. He then felt another hand holding onto the other side of neck as the person kissed him harder. It finally hit him that this person was Mingyu and he instinctively kissed him back. Just when his hand reached for Mingyu’s waist, Mingyu pulled away.

 

“Done.” Mingyu said.

 

The kiss probably lasted less than than four seconds and it was all Wonwoo ever dreamt of ever since he realized he had a crush on his best friend years ago. It was a constant game of push and pull but this time Mingyu initiated it and he wanted to believe that there was a spark between the both of them. It was foolish and maybe it was the alcohol talking because he wanted to believe that the kiss wasn’t motivated by the dare or the fact that they were both intoxicated. He wanted to believe for once that this wasn’t unrequited love anymore.

 

“Wow.” Seokmin uttered to break the silence.

 

“That was the best dare of the night!” Seungcheol yelled as he thrusted both his hands upwards. “Happy Birthday, kids!” He said before planting a wet sloppy kiss on the cheeks of Seokmin and Vernon.

 

The others cheered and patted the backs of the birthday boys right before the clock struck midnight. Soonyoung was about to say something but he ran to the bathroom instead. From the living room, they could hear him vomiting in the toilet. Mingyu stood up and walked over to the bathroom to check on Soonyoung, leaving Wonwoo confused. 

 

“Alright,” Seungkwan stood up. “We should call it a night.” 

 

It was 12:10am and they have work the next day but everyone was too wasted to even drive back home. They were all sprawled around the couch. The interns got up from their seats to pick up the trash lying all over the place.

 

“Not yet!” Seokmin yelled. “Let me sing one more song.” He got up and turned on the audio system and laptop which were connected to the television. Seconds later, Breaking Free from High School Musical started playing. 

 

“I’m sorry Seokmin, but I can’t miss this.” Vernon stopped picking up the empty cans to record Seokmin.

 

“You’re so screwed if they ever find out you have a million videos of what happened tonight.” Chan said.

 

“ _We’re soooooooaaring, flyinnnnnnnnn_.” Seokmin sang into the microphone. “ _There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reaaaaaaaaaaaaach!_ ”

 

“Shut up!” Jihoon said as he laid on the sofa in a curled up position.

 

“ _If we’re tryin, so we’re breaking freeeeeee_.” Seokmin hopped to the right and sang in a higher pitch. “Joshua, wake up. Be Gabriella!” He nudged Joshua with his feet.

 

“What?” Joshua woke up from slumber. “Oh, Breaking Free!” He cried when the music filled his ears. Seokmin handed him a microphone and helped him get up.

 

“ _We’re breaking free, we’re soaaaaaarin, flyinnnnnn._ ” Both of them sang passionately. _“There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reaaaaaaach_!”

 

Soon, they ended up shouting the lyrics instead. 

 

“Like a wave the ocean just can’t contr- shit I need to-” He stuttered before running to the bathroom.

 

“ _Connected by a feeling! OOOOOOHH in our very souuuuuuls!_ ” Joshua continued as he held onto two microphones.

 

Vernon who has been standing at the side recording the entire thing had tears in his eyes from all the laughing. “Literally the best day of my life.”

 

“I think that’s enough.” Chan took the microphones from Joshua and turned the audio system off. “The neighbours are probably going to complain soon.”

 

“Aw man!” Joshua cried before plopping onto Jihoon who was on the sofa.

 

“Ouch!” Jihoon yelled at the impact. 

 

Minghao screamed something in Mandarin before lying on top of Joshua and was followed by Jun.

 

“He said, ‘Human Sandwich!’” Jun translated before falling onto the edge of the sofa.

 

“Today’s going to be a long, long night.” Seungkwan sighed.

 

***

 

The next day, the entire office was filled with hungover employees. Every five seconds, a groan would be heard. 

 

“I hate myself. I hate - ugh.” Jihoon groaned.

 

Seungcheol laid his head on a stack of paper and looked off into the distance. 

 

Soonyoung stared at all of his undone work before looking up to say, “Party was lit, though.”

 

“Yeaaaaaah.” Seungcheol and Jihoon agreed but their voices came out like a dying whale.

 

It was no better at the writers’ office. Most of them were sitting back in their chairs staring blankly at their computer screens, attempting to finish their articles while Seokmin was just lying on the floor cocooned in a winter jacket. None of them uttered a word since they arrived at work, not even Seokmin who would usually open his mouth every 5 seconds.

 

It was the same at the stylists’ studio. Jeonghan and Mingyu were fine so they were both nursing Wonwoo.

 

“I’ve rescheduled the shoots to tomorrow.” Jeonghan patted Wonwoo’s head. “And Seungkwan is bringing in hangover soup in a bit so wait a little more, okay?”

 

Wonwoo groaned as Jeonghan went out to see how the writers were doing.

 

“Wonwoo.” Mingyu called after Jeonghan left the studio. “I’m sorry.”

 

Wonwoo turned his head to look at Mingyu who was seated on the opposite of his desk.

 

“What for?”

 

“For what happened yesterday.”

 

“Why are you sorry?” Wonwoo asked, rubbing his right eye with his hand.

 

“I mean, it was a dare and I acted impulsively and we were both kinda drunk, I don’t know. I’m sorry if I crossed the line.” Mingyu apologized.

 

“It’s fine, really. It’s okay.” Wonwoo said.

 

“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay with it.” Mingyu stood up from the chair to return to his desk.

 

“Mingyu.”

 

Mingyu stopped to look back at Wonwoo.

 

“Did you.” He stopped. “Do you want to get dinner later?”

 

“Sure.” Mingyu answered. “As long as you feel better later.”

 

“Alright.”

 

At that moment Wonwoo could have asked Mingyu the bigger question; whether he meant the kiss or not because everything was still so vague and ambiguous. He then figured that maybe it’d be better if it stayed this way. He realized that maybe he should let the pieces fall into place instead of forcing the pieces together because that was a mistake he made back then. Sure, some pieces are missing here and there but he’s hoping that one day, they would eventually all form as one.

 He grabbed his phone and looked at his lockscreen.

 

***

 

“Does this hangover soup really work?” Vernon asked, holding up the vacuum flask filled with soup Seungkwan’s mum made.

 

“Everyone I know who has been hungover felt better after they drank this soup so I guess it does.” Seungkwan answered. “On another note, you still have those videos you took yesterday?”

 

“Yeah. They’re all in my phone and I transferred them to my laptop this morning.” Vernon said, somewhat proudly. “I’m gonna be in so much trouble if they found out.”

 

“True but I still can’t believe Mingyu kissed Wonwoo.” Seungkwan said. “On the lips!” He stopped walking to point on his lips for emphasis.

 

“I swear everyone was sober for a moment when that happened.” Vernon said. “I guess you can say our plan to get them together is almost a success?”

 

“We’re getting there!” Seungkwan said with a smile. “Oh and,” He reached into his pocket and took out a Rilakkuma keychain. “Happy Belated Birthday.”

 

“What’s with the sudden gift?” Vernon took the keychain from Seungkwan.

 

“Well I saw it at a store and I thought it was cute and for some reason it reminded me of you and it’s also a pendrive.”

 

“Nice.” Vernon immediately clipped it onto his bag. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome.”

 

“You think I’m cute?” Vernon asked after a moment of silence.

 

“Vernon, you’ve got to be kidding me. It’s pretty obvious that I’m the cute one.” Seungkwan rolled his eyes. “Let’s hurry, we’ve got an office full of hungover co-workers!”

 

And with that they brisk walked into the office building while a Rilakkuma keychain bounced on Vernon’s backpack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Happy Birthday to Seokmin and Vernon! I feel like I should apologize because this chapter is a total mess. What should have been a chapter focused on their birthday became a mess of an office prank, the boys getting drunk, a huge meanie moment (!!) and a tiny verkwan moment at the end too (!!). I'll try to be more organized and focus on the main theme in the next chapters. Also, ahh. Meanie is so angsty, I don't know why but there's fluffy Verkwan to balance it out, I guess?? ahah. So yeah, tell me what do you think of this chapter? Comment or send me a message on tumblr @ greysoo.tumblr.com/ask or talk to me on twitter @greysootrash!


	6. Joshua's Secret Admirer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joshua has an admirer and everyone in the office thinks they might hear church bells ringing soon.

Everyone thinks Joshua’s job is the easiest out of all the writers. They think all he does is simply provide advice for readers who write-in to the advice column and write self-help articles. True, those are the main components of his job but being a writer for the advice column holds much more importance and responsibility than one would expect. Firstly, the readers who write in trust him enough to share their personal issues with him, hoping that he could assist them with their problems. Secondly, his advice could possibly have a large impact on the reader which increases his pressure to provide helpful and valuable advices. Thirdly, he majored in psychology and minored in writing back in graduate school so he’s pretty well versed in the ever evolving sphere of mental health issues to ensure that his articles are accurate and informative at its core.

 

In short, Joshua takes his job very seriously and many readers have sent him e-mails to ask him for advice and to also thank him for writing the self-help articles. (Though Seungkwan likes to believe that they’re doing so because it’s a known fact that the writer for the advice column is cute and they just wanted a reply.) However, it wasn’t until one day when he received an odd request.

 

“Guys,” Joshua called for the other writers. “I just got an e-mail from a reader and I don’t quite know what it means.”

 

The three writers got up from their seats to take a look at the e-mail. They gasped in shock as soon as they read it.

 

 _“Hello, Joshua. I’ve read all your articles ever since you started writing for Seventeen back in 2013. I don’t know if you remember but I’ve sent in some questions which got published in the August 2013, February 2014, April 2014 and July 2015 issues. You’ve played a big role in my life and I want to thank you for it. If you don’t mind, would you like to get coffee some time?”_ Jun read aloud.

 

“Dude, this reader is asking you out on a date!” Seokmin said. “Nice.” He punched his arm lightly.

 

“Dang, when will people give us some lovin’? Minghao sighed and draped his arms over Seokmin and Jun’s shoulders. 

 

“What should I do?” Joshua asked, eyes confused like a lost puppy.

 

“Well you could-”

 

“JOSHUA HAS A SECRET ADMIRER?” Soonyoung yelled right after he opened the door to the writers’ office.

 

“How did he know?” Joshua questioned as more of his co-workers barged into the office to read the e-mail.

 

“While you were talking I sent a message to the group chat.” Jun laughed nervously and Joshua looked at him with a frown. “Don’t look at me like that! They’d eventually find out anyway!” He defensively put up his hands.

 

“My baby is all grown up.” Jeonghan said as he animatedly wiped off fake tears from his face.

 

“So are you going to reply the reader?” Vernon asked.

 

“I don’t know. I don’t keep track of the readers who send in questions because of privacy issues and I honestly don’t remember this reader so I have to look back at the records.” He said in one breath. “Is this odd? I think it’s odd - a reader wants to meet me to thank me! Isn’t this odd?”

 

“Calm down, boy.” Seungcheol said. “Like the reader said, you played a big role in his or her life. Your advice has probably helped them overcome some big obstacle in their life and they just want to thank you for it. Don’t overthink it!”

 

“Yeah, I guess I am overthinking it.” Joshua nodded in realization.

 

“See, there’s nothing to worry about. You’re not obligated to meet the reader though, so if you’re uncomfortable with it you should tell them that.” Mingyu advised.

 

“Yeah because you never know, the reader might be some creepy stalker.” Seungkwan blatantly said which earned him a nudge in the ribs from Jeonghan.

 

“Hm, the reader wants to meet for coffee” Joshua mused. “My church has a great coffee machine, maybe I could bring them there.”

 

“I’m done with this.” Jihoon walked out of the office.

 

“Make way for church and coffee.” Jun said as he made his way back to his desk.

 

“Oh! Great idea, Jun!” Joshua’s eyes lit up with delight.

 

“That wasn’t even a suggestion!” 

 

***

 

Eventually, Joshua did accept the request. As suggested by all of his colleagues he agreed to meet up with the reader at a cafe nearby their office. It turns out the reader was a girl in her mid twenties named Younghee. Over coffee, she told Joshua about her bad breakups, her struggle with school, her personal life and Joshua listened intently. He’d nod every now and then, expressing his understanding and offered her some advices and words of strength. To both of their surprise, they were not uncomfortable with each other at all. They exchanged numbers and agreed to keep in touch. 

 

After saying their goodbyes, Joshua walked back to the office with a box of cake in hand for his colleagues.

 

“I bought cake.” He declared the moment he entered the writers’ office.

 

“So how was it? Who was it? _What_ was it?” Seokmin asked, squinting his eyes.

 

“Dude, you went out for two hours! You sure you guys only had coffee?” Jun teased. “Wait, don’t tell me you actually brought the reader to church?”

 

“It’s been two hours?” Joshua looked at his watch to see that it was already 2:30PM, which is way past their lunch hour.

 

“He’s so lovestruck the didn’t even know two hours went by.” Seokmin shook his head.

 

“Why would I be lovestruck? Anyway, Younghee is really nice! We had a nice chat, we exchanged phone numbers and-”

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Minghao stopped him. “Are you listening to yourself?”

 

Just then, his colleagues barged into their office.

 

“How did it go? What did we miss?” Seungcheol asked.

 

“Okay. First of all, Younghee is a beautiful name and she sounds like a nice girl. Second of all, you guys had a two hour chat which fleetingly went by and third of all, both of you exchanged numbers!” Seokmin exclaimed at Joshua.

 

“Yeah, that happened.” Joshua said slowly. For some reason his colleagues are more excited about the meet up than him.

 

“The church bells are ringing!” Seungkwan sang.

 

“Why would the church bells ring?” Joshua asked.

 

Jeonghan sighed. “Oh Joshua, you innocent child.”

 

“Wait, do you guys think I fancy her?” Joshua said with half a smirk. “I can guarantee you we’re just friends!”

 

“Sure.” Mingyu laughed. “That’s what they always say.”

 

“Uh-huh.” Wonwoo nodded with a knowing look.

 

***

 

It’s been two days since Joshua met up with his not-so-secret admirer. Everyone has been dropping hints to him to ask her out again but as usual, he’s oblivious to it. Though Joshua claims that he and Younghee are “just friends” everyone thinks otherwise. Ever since the meet up, they’ve noticed that he’s been using his phone more often and would smile every time he checked his phone. It’s been a long time since he has met someone whom he was compatible with so they’ve been pushing him to hang out with Younghee more in hopes that maybe something could blossom out of their friendship.

 

Wonwoo was making coffee at the pantry when Joshua came in with his phone in hand.

 

“Hey.” Wonwoo greeted.

 

“Hello, Wonwoo!” Joshua greeted back with a smile.

 

“I’ve noticed you’ve been on your phone a lot more lately. Busy with something?” Wonwoo casually asked as he placed his cup under the dispenser.

 

Joshua sighed. “I guess it has become somewhat of an obsession. Maybe I should stop this.”

 

“What?” Wonwoo was taken aback by the answer which caused him to drop an entire packet of sugar into his coffee. “An obsession?”

 

“Yeah, I think I like it too much. Everyone said I shouldn’t do it but I did it and now I think I might be obsessed. Do you think I should give up?” Joshua looked at his phone longingly.

 

“Oh no, no.” Wonwoo said as he fished out the packet from his coffee. “Never give up. Just go with the flow and see what happens from there. If you’re patient, good things will happen.”

 

“Thanks Wonwoo. I really needed to hear that.” 

 

“Anytime.” 

 

“I just need to be patient and soon enough I’ll be able to expand my yard for more living space.” Joshua smiled and walked out of the pantry.

 

This time, Wonwoo dropped his entire cup of coffee onto the floor.

 

***

 

“He’s thinking of expanding his house to accommodate a bigger living space?” Mingyu said with wide eyes.

 

“That’s what he said.” Wonwoo said. 

 

“Is he that serious about Younghee? Oh my.” Jeonghan brought a hand to his mouth in shock.

 

“It’s been only 3 weeks, though?” Mingyu said. “And he’s already thinking of asking her to move in?”

 

“So the church bells are going to ring!” A voice said. 

 

The stylists looked up to see Seungkwan standing next to them. They were so engrossed in their chat about Joshua they didn’t even notice Seungkwan has been standing next to their circle the entire time.

 

“When did you get here?!” Jeonghan cried.

 

“You may have forgotten that I’m Boo Seungkwan, office gossip extraordinaire.” Seungkwan brushed his hair to the side. “Anyway, I overheard Joshua talking to her about coming over to the office.”

 

“Why were you eavesdropping on him!” Mingyu asked.

 

“Technically, I wasn’t. I was on my way to the pantry when I heard the conversation. Now, it’s not like I saw him walking to the panty with his phone so I quickly followed him, no.” Seungkwan chuckled nervously. “I just so happen to _accidentally_ overheard them.”

 

“Sure.” Wonwoo deadpanned.

 

“Hold up, is that Younghee?” Mingyu pointed out.

 

From the studio, they could see a girl looking into the office from the entrance. Seconds later, Joshua was seen walking to the entrance to tap his access card on the detector so the door would open.

 

“Shit! That’s her!” 

 

Younghee had long black hair and was dressed fashionably. They also noticed that she smiled the moment Joshua went to welcome her. Both of them shared a brief hug before Joshua brought her over to the editors to introduce her. The three editors stood up and shook her hand. Seungcheol noticed that the stylists and Seungkwan were staring at them and he promptly made a thumbs up gesture at them.

 

“Whoa, she got a green light from the boss.” Seungkwan commented.

 

“Let’s go say hi.” Jeonghan suggested and all of them went over to the editors’ office.

 

***

 

“It’s really nice to finally meet all of you.” Younghee said. “Joshua has told me a lot about you guys.”

 

“Of course he has!” Seokmin hit Joshua on the back with an exaggerated smile.

 

“You’re probably gonna see more of us in the future, we should all be comfortable with each other.” Soonyoung said.

 

“Ding, dong, ding, dong. Oh, are those church bells I hear?” Seungkwan said animatedly with a hand next to his ear.

 

“You guys really are a funny bunch!” Younghee laughed.

 

“Don’t think that was a joke.” Jun whispered.

 

“Anyway, let me get my coat and wallet first.” Joshua said before running back to the office.

 

“So,” Minghao started once Joshua was out of sight. “How long has this been going on?”

 

“Uh, I don’t keep track but three weeks I guess?” Younghee answered uncertainly.

 

“I take that it’s been serious?” Wonwoo said.

 

“I guess you can say getting coffee is a serious thing.” Younghee joked.

 

“Aw, c’mon. You don’t have to hide it. We know what’s going on between you and Joshua!” Seungcheol teased with a mischievous look.

 

Younghee looked at all of them in confusion for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Oh my God! I can’t believe this!” She laughed.

 

“We can’t believe it either!” Seungcheol joined in and laughed along.

 

“No, no. There’s a misunderstanding!” Younghee said. “Joshua!” She called.

 

Joshua appeared out of his office with his coat and wallet in hand. “Should we get going?”

 

“I think you have some explaining to do. Your colleagues think we’re dating!” 

 

“What?” Joshua laughed. “I’ve told you guys, we’re really just friends!”

 

“Did April Fools come early? What’s going on? Aren’t you both dating?” Vernon asked.

 

“Alright, I’ll clear the confusion. I’m not straight.” Younghee explained. “I like girls so - Joshua is well, not my cup of tea.”

 

At that moment, everyone just froze and blinked. 

 

“But ever since Joshua met you, he’s been on his phone non stop! Wasn’t he texting you?” Chan asked.

 

“This might partially be my fault. I introduced him to a game app and he won’t stop playing it.” Younghee said.

 

“It’s all Younghee’s fault that I spend most of my time playing Neko Atsume now.” Joshua took his phone out and launched the app. Soon, a quirky tune started playing and a bunch of animated cats resting on cushions and playing with toys were seen.

 

“Wait, then what about the whole ‘expanding my yard for more living space?’ thing?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“In Neko Atsume you get to expand your yard to put more items so more cats can come!” Joshua explained excitedly. “You can only buy it with gold fish, though and it takes awhile to collect a certain amount of gold fish.”

 

Everyone was plain flabbergasted. One misunderstanding let to another which caused a big confusion. 

 

“This is literally the biggest misunderstanding I’ve ever encountered.” Jihoon commented. “Sorry for making you uncomfortable, Younghee.”

 

“It’s alright, no worries.” She smiled. “You kids are real cute.”

 

“This will go down as one of the most embarrassing things to happen in Seventeen.” Joshua laughed. “Should we go get coffee now?”

 

Younghee nodded and both of them exited the office.

 

“Well.” Seokmin said. “Let’s all pretend this never happened.”

 

“We were never here!” Seungkwan said in a dramatic whisper before dragging both Chan and Vernon back to their office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! I'm sorry this chapter took awhile. I've been busy since uni is about to start soon but I've finally managed to finish this, yay! I hope you guys liked this Joshua-centric chapter. I've received a lot of nice comments from everyone and I'm really, really glad you guys like this series. Since uni is starting soon, the chapters might take awhile because I don't really have a proper outline to this series (i literally just write whatever that comes to mind) and my workload is gonna pile up OTL. So, if you guys have any requests or prompts feel free to send them to my tumblr/twitter and maybe I'll write drabbles or a chapter based on the requests! Or you could just talk to me about anything because I'm a lonely soul ahah


	7. Jun's Quest For Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a writer for the gossip column is like being an adventurer and Jun is an adventurer on a quest for truth. 
> 
> [As requested by Payal, @payalwrites here's a Jun-centric chapter!]

The entertainment industry is probably one of the most merciless and competitive industries out there. Countless songs, movies and television shows are released everyday for everyone’s enjoyment. Apart from the main content that’s produced, the one thing that stands as everyone’s guilty pleasure is none other than celebrity gossip.

 

There’s simply something irresistible about knowing who’s dating who, who did what, and who’s not in good terms with who. Of course, most people think gossip articles are nothing but a disappointment to journalism but you’d be lying if you said you never picked up a gossip magazine which had a striking headline about a celebrity you’re familiar with. The truth is, gossip sells regardless of whether it’s true or not. Magazine companies are willing to pay a paparazzi almost over $10,000 for exclusive pictures of celebrities but Jun isn’t going to let his company spend that ridiculous sum over his next quest for truth.

 

Jun likes to think that being a gossip and entertainment column writer is like being an adventurer on a quest for truth. Getting the inside scoop before anyone does, looking for evidences to back up a story and then letting the entire world know about his findings does sound rather savage but that’s part of his job. So, when he received an e-mail from one of his sources claiming that Amanda Seyfried has been secretly dating someone, he’s out to find out more since she’s one of Hollywood’s biggest names. A coverage on this rumor will definitely boost up their magazine sales. 

 

A week later, a rival magazine released some photos of her hanging out with a secret someone whose face was covered. Despite how his identity is still unknown, the fact that she’s rumored to be dating someone is out there and the news wasn’t delivered by Seventeen. This made Jun boil with competitiveness but luck was probably on his side because she’ll be visiting Seoul for her movie premiere and he’s sure that the rumored boyfriend will join her so he proposes his idea to Seungcheol.

 

“If we want our magazine to sell like hotcakes, we have to do a follow up on this story!” Jun said. “It’s pretty simple. Just get me passes to her movie premiere and I’ll do my job.”

 

“I get that this story is an important piece of information to the entertainment industry but I don’t think a coverage is necessary. Plus, it’s not ethical to snoop around on her personal life when she’s promoting her movie.” Seungcheol answered as he reviewed Jun’s proposal. 

 

“Please let me do a coverage of this. Have you seen the sales of our rival magazine after they wrote about the rumor?” Jun flipped through the papers of his proposal to point at a line graph depicting an increase in sales. “Look at it! Their sales doubled!”

 

“I’m sorry Jun, I can’t approve of this.” Seungcheol said apologetically. 

 

“Soonyoung, help me out.” Jun plead. “Jihoon?”

 

“Sorry, Jun. If it’s a no from Seungcheol, you know I can’t do anything.” Soonyoung said to which Jihoon nodded in agreement.

 

“Fine.” Jun took his proposal and left the editors’ office. 

 

 _Well, it’s Seventeen’s Jun who got a disapproval, not normal citizen Wen Jun Hui._ He thought to himself and smirked.

 

***

 

“Oh my God.” Vernon gasped. “Amanda Seyfried is visiting Seoul to promote her new movie. We need to go!”

 

“Hey, aren’t you a huge fan of hers?” Chan asked.

 

“Yes, she’s so beautiful” Vernon gushed. “and she looks absolutely stunning in her new movie.”

 

“Does she?” Seungkwan said in a snide manner.

 

“I sent you a link to the trailer! Did you not watch it?” Vernon asked. “It’s okay, let’s watch it now.”

 

“No thanks.” Seungkwan declined. “I’ve got work to do.”

 

Vernon frowned. “Alright, but we really have to go, I don’t care. It’s on Saturday. We have to get there hours before the venue starts to get a good view!” He said while he looked up on the premiere details online. “You guys can’t back out, okay? We’re going.”

 

“Okay.” Chan nodded. “I’ve not nothing up on Saturday so count me in.”

 

“Seungkwan?”

 

The boy remained silent.

 

“Aw, please.” Vernon pleaded as he shook Seungkwan’s arm. “Seungkwan, please?”

 

“Fine.” Seungkwan said in defeat. “Get your hands off me this instant.”

 

“Yay!” Vernon smiled in joy and gave Seungkwan a hug.

 

“I said to get your hands off me, not throw yourself at me!”

 

“Bet you liked that, though.” Chan said quickly with a cough.

 

“Shut up.” Seungkwan snapped but his red cheeks gave it away.

 

***

 

It was the day of the movie premiere. Fans and reporters alike have gathered at the venue. A red carpet was aligned towards the theater as everyone awaited for the arrival of the actors, producers and director of the movie behind the barriers.

 

Vernon, Seungkwan and Chan have waited for over three hours before the limousines started driving by. Knowing that waiting could take awhile, Seungkwan cleverly brought a mini stool to sit on and glared at anyone who kicked his stool while Vernon thought of what he should say to Amanda Seyfried later. 

 

“Should I say, ‘You’re so beautiful even Aphrodite would be jealous’ or ‘Amanda I love you so much, could you please adopt me?’”

 

“Well.” Chan hesitated.

 

“Vernon, you’ve got issues.” Seungkwan criticized from below. 

 

Vernon looked down to see Seungkwan looking at him with a judgmental look. “What should I say then?” He asked.

 

“How about you don’t say anything?” 

 

Just when Vernon was about to answer Seungkwan, a white limousine stopped in front of the red carpet. Screams erupted the moment the chauffeur opened the door. When Vernon realized it was Amanda Seyfried, he screamed for her name.

 

“Amanda! Amanda Seyfried!” He screamed while waving enthusiastically. 

 

She started walking towards the fans as a bodyguard followed close by. Seungkwan stood up and noticed that her bodyguard didn’t look too strict so he stood on his stool and started screaming for her too.

 

“Amanda Seyfried _noona_! Here!” He screamed in English. “Here!” He gestured towards Vernon.

 

The actress must have noticed someone unrealistically tall calling for her so she went over to that section. It took a moment for Vernon to realize that she’s walking towards him. 

 

“Hello!” She smiled.

 

“Oh my Gosh, I love your works. You’re amazing. I don’t even know what to say! Thank you so much for coming.” Vernon said all at once.

 

“Thank you so much! And your name is?” She took his pen and paper to sign an autograph.

 

“It’s Vernon!”

 

While the actress and Vernon had their conversation, Chan noticed that the bodyguard has been looking away from the fans instead of protecting the actress from any possible harm. He also noticed that this particular bodyguard looked awfully familiar. Seungkwan must have also noticed too because he’s standing next to Chan now, reaching over for the bodyguard.

 

“Excuse me?” He asked.

 

The bodyguard finally turned over to look at them and peeked above his sunglasses. At that moment, both Chan and Seungkwan gasped because it was Jun! Why on earth is he Amanda Seyfried’s bodyguard? Does he have a part time job no one knows about?

 

“Don’t push.” Jun said in a voice lower than his original voice. He guided her over to the other side of the carpet as she waved goodbye to the fans at this section.

 

“That was surreal. I feel like I’ve been resurrected from death.” Vernon said to Seungkwan and Chan but they were both still staring at the bodyguard.

 

“What’s wrong?” Vernon asked.

 

“That bodyguard looks like Jun.” Seungkwan said.

 

“That’s what I thought! But, why would he be here?” Chan said with a confused look.

 

“Are you sure?” Vernon looked over. The bodyguard isn’t as built as how a bodyguard would stereotypically be but the view of his back sure did look familiar. “It wouldn’t make sense, though. Maybe he just looks like him. After all there seven people in the world who looks like you.”

 

“Guess he’s Jun’s doppelgänger.” Chan laughed it off.

 

“I still think it’s Jun.” Seungkwan pursed his lips. 

 

“Let’s just enjoy the movie first and think about it later.” Vernon suggested.

 

***

 

While they were lining up into the cinema, Vernon’s phone beeped signaling that a message has been sent to him.

 

_Jun (Seventeen)_

hey, are you boys still at the cinema? i need help.

 

Yeah, about to go into the cinema soon.

_Jun (Seventeen)_

it’s urgent. come to the backdoor. no questions.

 

 

“Guys, I received a message from Jun.” Vernon read his messages again to make sure he didn’t read it wrong. “He wants to meet us at the cinema’s backdoor now.”

 

“See! I told you that was Jun earlier!” Seungkwan exclaimed excitedly.

 

“Why does he want to meet us?” Chan asked. “Should we get going, then?”

 

“What about the movie?” Vernon pouted.

 

“Screw your movie. I think Jun might have something exciting for us!” Seungkwan’s eyes lit up. “I have a feeling he's here to cover that Amanda Seyfried rumor!”

 

“I thought Seungcheol disapproved his plan?” Vernon said as he recalled Jun complaining about how Seungcheol wouldn’t let him do a write up of the rumor over at the pantry.

 

“This definitely got more exciting!” Seungkwan clapped. “Let’s go!” He dragged the both of them out of the queue.

 

The three boys walked to the backdoor of the cinema to see Jun waiting for them. He was still in his bodyguard disguise.

 

“Good. You guys came.” He said with a hand on his earpiece to stay in character.

 

“What’s going on?” Vernon asked. “Are you personally doing a write up on this rumor?”

 

“I don’t have much time to explain but yes I am. I’m positive her “secret boyfriend” is here with her today and I heard from her manager that she’s going sightseeing later. It’s a private schedule but we’re going to follow her.” Jun said in a hush tone.

 

“Isn’t that a breach of rules? We’re going to get in trouble with not only the editors but also the law if we get caught.” Chan said as a matter-of-factly.

 

“Of course but you see, we’re ninjas. She won’t even know we’re there and we’re not going to bother her.”

 

“It sounded more cool when Margo said it in Paper Towns.” Vernon commented.

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “Anyway, if we can find out who this mystery guy is, it’ll really boost our sales. Plus, Vernon you get to see Amanda Seyfried again. Seungkwan,” He looked at said boy. “I know you love a good gossip and Chan,” He turned over to him. “you know you want to do this.”

 

“I’m in!” Vernon said.

 

“Me too.” Seungkwan joined.

 

“I want to be a ninja too!” Chan raised his hand.

 

“Well, that was easier than I planned.” Jun shrugged. “Meet me by the Han River at 12AM later.”

 

***

 

It was exactly 12AM sharp. The three boys arrived at Han River as told but Jun wasn’t in sight. Vernon fished out his phone from his pocket to send him a text.

 

Where are u? we’re here.

 

_Jun (Seventeen)_

i see you. walk to the bushes which are approximately 10 steps to your right. i’m hiding behind the 3rd bush.

 

They counted their steps as they walked to their right. At their tenth step, they saw a row of bushes in front of them and counted to the third bush. They walked over to it but they still couldn’t see Jun. 

 

“Did he mean the third bush from the left or from the right?” Chan asked, looking over to the bushes on the other end.

 

“Maybe he’s on the other side-”

 

“I’m here guys.” A voice said.

 

“Where?” Vernon asked. “Jun?”

 

At that moment a hand came out from one of the bushes and waved. “I’m inside here.”

 

The boys crouched down as Jun slid a part of the bush aside. He was crouching inside with a pair of binoculars slung around his neck and a camera at his side.

 

“Come inside and I’ll answer every question you have in your heads right now.” Jun said as he gestured them to join him.

 

Obediently, they kneeled and crawled inside the bush before Jun slid the bush back to it’s original place. Unlike its exterior, the inside was empty and spacious, just enough for four people to sit in. There was a lightbulb attached onto the top which lit up the interior. They sat against the fake leaves, waiting for Jun to speak.

 

“First of all, yes this is a fake bush. I guess you can call it a hideout. Many celebrities come here late at night so the paps have built these fake bushes all over the place.” Jun explained. “I expect you to keep this as a secret.”

 

Seungkwan’s eyes widened in delight, Vernon gulped and Chan made a zipping gesture on his lips.

 

“About me being her bodyguard earlier, well I’ve got connections and thanks to my good looks, they took me in last minute.” Jun smiled with pride. “That’s how I found out she’s meeting someone here.”

 

“Okay, what do you want us to do?” Vernon asked.

 

“I need to get pictures from various angles. So I need the three of you to be in the other bushes later.” He turned to his back and removed yet another part of the bush to reveal a secret compartment containing walkie talkies and more cameras.

 

“Whoever came up with these bushes is either a mastermind or has too much time in his hands.” Seungkwan remarked.

 

“I don’t have much time on my hands but thanks for the nice compliment, Seungkwan. I’ll guide you guys on where to go later through these walkie talkies.” Jun handed each of them a walkie talkie. “You guys know how to use DSLRs right?”

 

The three of them nodded as they took a walkie talkie and camera each.

 

“Of course you kids know.” Jun chuckled. “Unlike Joshua. Almost ruined my story.” He grimaced.

 

“Wait, you mean you took Joshua on a job before?” Vernon asked.

 

“Worst decision of my life. He ended up learning knitting from an elderly lady instead of giving me information.” Jun sighed. “Luckily Seokmin was sharp enough.”

 

“Even Seokmin?” Seungkwan said in shock. “They’ve all followed you on jobs?”

 

“Yeah, they all have except for the editors, of course. There’s no point in keeping this as a secret from you kids because I’ll probably need your help in the future.”

 

“I feel like a legit ninja right now.” Chan said.

 

“That's the end of our Q&A session. They’ll be arriving soon. Vernon, you head out first. I’ll guide you.” Jun reached out to slide the bush open.

 

***

 

Now they were in four different bushes, waiting eagerly for the actress and her rumoured boyfriend to appear.

 

“Alright.” Jun spoke into his walkie talkie. “My sources said a car just dropped them off. Get ready with your cameras. I think they’ll be here in about 10 minutes.”

 

“Copy that.” Chan spoke back.

 

“Is it too late to make codenames for each other?” Vernon asked.

 

“Okay.” Jun spoke. “Vernon, you’re Dumbass 1, Seungkwan, Dumbass 2, Chan, Dumbass 3 and I’m Prince Jun. Cool?”

 

“Why is Jun the prince?” Chan said.

 

“Really? You’re not going to question why we’re called Dumbass 1, 2 and 3?” Seungkwan snapped back.

 

“Guys!” Vernon cried. “I see two figures! And I’m 200% sure the one in a black hoodie is Amanda Seyfried. I can recognize her back.”

 

“Vernon, you really have issues you need to resolve.” Seungkwan said and Vernon could feel his eye roll even though they’re feet apart and out of sight.

 

“Okay, okay. Get to work, take as many pictures as you can.” Jun ordered.

 

Each of them picked up their cameras and took as many pictures as they could. The two figures stood next to each other and looked like they were having a conversation. The guy must have said something funny because the actress laughed and hit him on the arm.

 

“I can totally see his side view. Do you really think he’s the rumoured boyfriend? This guy looks Korean.” Chan said.

 

“I hope the guy turns around so we can see his entire face because he’s not wearing a face mask, that’s for sure.” Vernon spoke back.

 

“Also, don’t you think he looks familiar too?” Seungkwan asked.

 

Just then, the man turned and they could all see his face clearly.

 

“Holy shit.” Jun exclaimed.

 

“Guys.”

 

“Oh my God”

 

“Isn’t that Seungcheol?!” Seungkwan yelled into the walkie talkie.

 

“This can’t be!” Jun cried. “I can’t decide if this is downright newsworthy or unbelievable because that’s my boss!”

 

“Can Amanda Seyfried even understand him?” Seungkwan scoffed.

 

“Does this mean our boss is the secret boyfriend everyone’s wondering about?” Chan asked.

 

“As a writer for the entertainment industry, I’m thrilled but as Seventeen’s Jun, I’m worried.” Jun answered honestly. 

 

“Hey, isn’t that Joshua?” Vernon pointed out.

 

It was indeed Joshua. He joined the duo and shook Amanda Seyfried’s hand. Three of them were talking and nodding.

 

“I need to know what exactly is going on.” Jun said. He went out of the bush to get a better view. He looked into his binoculars to see the three of them engaged in an animated conversation. It didn’t make sense for Seungcheol or Joshua to be the rumored boyfriend. They barely know her let alone date her! 

 

As he was looking at them with his binoculars, Seungcheol coincidentally made eye contact with him. Jun gulped and rolled back into the bush, closing the opening hastily.

 

Seungcheol excused himself from the conversation and walked towards where he saw someone spying on them earlier. Jun heard footsteps approaching him and prayed that Seungcheol wouldn’t try to search the bush or even worse, know that there’s a secret hideout behind it. Ruffling of fake leaves were heard and Jun prayed so hard Joshua would be proud. Seconds later, the ruffling stopped and footsteps were heard again. Jun sighed in relief.

 

“That was a close call.” Jun spoke into the walkie talkie.

 

“Don’t think so.” Vernon’s voice came through.

 

Just then, the removable part of the bush was slid open and Jun could see Seungcheol staring at him with a frown.

 

“Jun! What are you doing?” Seungcheol hissed in a loud whisper.

 

Jun looked around before answering, “Oh you know. Just being one with nature. Wow, leaves! Hm, yes. Oxygen.”

 

“These leaves aren’t even real!” Seungcheol cried. “Go back home right now and you’ve got some explaining to do tomorrow!”

 

“Jun, I need to go to the bathroom.” Chan’s static voice came through.

 

Seungcheol looked at the walkie talkie and then at Jun with a flabbergasted look. “Is that Dino? Who else is here?” 

 

 _Oh crap._ Jun thought.

 

“Whoops.” Chan’s voice was heard again. 

 

Seungcheol looked over at Jun, expecting an answer.

 

“The three interns are here.” He said. 

 

“Is everything okay there?” Joshua called.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Dropped my keys.” Seungcheol answered and dangled his keys for effect.

 

“Seungcheol, why are you here with Amanda Seyfried?” Jun asked without hesitation.

 

“You really are stubborn. I told you to not cover this story and you did.” Seungcheol sighed. “Remember that fashion event I attended months ago?”

 

Jun nodded.

 

“Well, we talked and she said to bring her around if she ever visits again. So I asked Joshua to come along to bring her around for street food.”

 

“Oh, so you’re not the rumoured boyfriend.” Jun said before squinting his eyes. “Right?”

 

“Whatever that’s in your favour, I guess.” Seungcheol winked. “Okay, go send the kids back home and I expect you to come by the office and explain everything.”

 

“Sorry, Seungcheol.”

 

“Kids, I expect you to be at my office tomorrow too.” Seungcheol said into the walkie talkie before returning it back to Jun.

 

“Prince Jun has now been demoted to Dumbass 4.” Seungkwan chuckled over the walkie talkie.

 

Jun rolled his eyes.

 

***

 

The next day, Jun and the three interns gathered at the editors’ office. Jun explained everything from going undercover as a bodyguard to recruiting the interns and to hiding behind fake bushes. Snickers from Jihoon and full blown laughter from Soonyoung were occasionally heard.

 

“I cant believe you went undercover and everything just to find your boss and colleague hanging out with her.” Soonyoung laughed.

 

“How would I know?” Jun said in defeat. “I really thought her rumoured boyfriend would be with her.”

 

“Well, you found me!” Seungcheol stuck his wrists together and rested his head on it.

 

“Could have been an amazing write up though, if the guy was actually you!” Jun said with his nose up high.

 

“Anyway, this was a close call. I’ve told you over and over again that going undercover, hiding behind fake bushes and what not is unethical and yet you still do it.” Seungcheol said. “This is your last warning. If I catch you one more time, I’m going to ground you by only allowing you to write reviews for two issues.”

 

“Not reviews!” Jun cried. “They’re so boring and - ugh.” He groaned.

 

“We’re safe, right?” Seungkwan asked.

 

Seungcheol nodded. “If Jun asks any of you to join him on his adventures again, please report it to me.”

 

“I’ll miss being a ninja.” Chan frowned.

 

“I guess her rumored boyfriend wasn’t with her or he just doesn’t exist at all.” Vernon said with a grin. “Hope for me is restored!”

 

Seungkwan crossed his arms. “Or maybe she’s already secretly married with 10 kids! Your hope is now gone, huh?”

 

“Okay, back to your own offices, everyone.” Seungcheol ushered them out.

 

“Hey, you’re really not the secret boyfriend, right?” Soonyoung asked with a hint of genuine curiosity.

 

“Who says I’m not?” Seungcheol smirked. “She calls me ‘Sweetie’!”

 

Jihoon gave him a judging look. “So if I start calling you ‘Honey’, we’re dating?” He shot back.

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Honey? Jihoon, not when Soonyoung is around!” Seungcheol said in a stage whisper.

 

“Get out.” Jihoon glared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to Payal who requested a Jun-centric chapter and helping me out with the plot! I hope you guys liked this one. If you guys are wondering why is it Amanda Seyfried, well we thought Seungcheol would look cute with her, haha. If you have any ideas/requests, do suggest them to me and I'll try my best to write them! Uni is starting tomorrow but I'll definitely try my best to keep this updated. 
> 
> Oh and a friend, Zaylyn wrote this little ficlet on Verkwan's wedding in this verse! [http://nyteshade-morgoth.tumblr.com/post/140020966130/wedding-bells-in-the-eyes-of-jihoon] It's really cute and funny, do read it!
> 
> As always, contact me through my tumblr/twitter for requests/prompts or just for a chat :D


	8. Seungcheol's Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol is head over heels for a model and his employees are out to save (or rather, embarrass) him from the situation. [PART 1/3 OF REQUESTED PROMPTS]

Once Seungcheol arrives at the Seventeen headquarters, he would personally greet everyone at their offices (he doesn’t believe in corporate hierarchy) and would then head to the pantry to make himself a cup of coffee. Sometimes when he stumbles upon Mingyu, he’d always ask him to make the coffee instead because it’s a known fact that Mingyu makes an excellent cup of coffee. With a cup of coffee in hand, he’d head back to his own office where he’ll talk to Soonyoung and Jihoon about work and anything under the Sun, really. Their recent conversation ranged from Alexander Wang’s new collection to how to get to that newly opened bingsu shop and to how Soonyoung thought his cousin’s sister-in-law’s neighbour was a murderer but it turned out that the neighbour just really liked watching crime shows late at night.

 

“So, what’s the agenda for today?” Seungcheol asked in between chuckles from laughing at Soonyoung’s ridiculous anecdote.

 

“There’s a shoot going on right now for the fashion spread on the history of suits.” Jihoon answered after looking through the schedule. 

 

“I better go check to see if everything is running smoothly.” Seungcheol said.

 

“I heard the model for the shoot is pretty good looking.” Soonyoung smirked. “Jeonghan personally picked him for this shoot, you can’t go wrong with his taste.”

 

Seungcheol scoffed. “I’m going to check on the progress, not hit on the model!” He said before walking towards the studio which is just a few steps away from their office.

 

Boy, was he wrong.

 

The model was dashing. He had an innocent boyish face but the way he gazed towards the camera depicted the complete opposite. There was a certain aura to him, an attractiveness and Seungcheol couldn’t look away. Wonwoo was behind the camera, taking picture after picture. Usually, he’d have to guide the models on their best angles and how to pose but this time, he only had compliments for the model. Seungcheol was so distracted he didn’t even realize Mingyu had been standing next to him explaining the concept and styling.

 

“So, yeah. There’s a slight change because of that. Nothing major, I hope that’s okay.” Mingyu said.

 

“Uh, yeah. That’s fine.” Seungcheol nodded uncertainly. “By the way, who’s this model?”

 

“Oh, he’s new to the modeling agency but Jeonghan saw potential in him.” Mingyu explained. “He picked well, huh?”

 

“Yeah, he did.” Seungcheol agreed.

 

“Alright, we’ll have a break now.” Wonwoo said as he placed his camera down. Seungcheol walked over to the desk where previews of the pictures were displayed on the computer. 

 

“We’re going to have a hard time picking out the best pictures. They’re all good.” Jeonghan commented as Wonwoo scrolled past the photos.

 

“Thank you.” The model thanked. He was standing next to Seungcheol now, looking at the photos too. Seungcheol was taken aback by the model’s looks and proportions up close. Maybe it was because he was wearing a suit or maybe it was because he was just plain handsome. 

 

“Good job.” Seungcheol said to him, trying to sound as professional as possible.

 

“Thank you.” 

 

“Oh, this is Seungcheol, the editor of Seventeen.” Mingyu introduced.

 

The model got slightly flustered over how he didn’t realize Seungcheol was the editor of the magazine. He bowed profusely in apology and introduced himself.

 

“I’m Jang Doyoon.”

 

“Choi Seungcheol, nice to meet you.” 

 

Doyoon smiled as they shook hands.

 

***

 

After the shoot finished, Seungcheol mustered up the courage to approach Doyoon.

 

“You’ve done a great job today.” Seungcheol said, placing his hands in his pockets out of anxiousness.

 

“Thank you! They stylists did a great job too.” Doyoon answered while he packed his bags as he was about to leave soon.

 

“Uh, do you-” Seungcheol stuttered. “Do you-”

 

Doyoon raised his eyebrows in curiosity. 

 

“Do you want to get dinner in about,” Seungcheol looked at his watch and shrugged. “now?”

 

Doyoon’s mouth formed an ‘O’ upon finally understanding what Seungcheol had been wanting to ask. “Of course! Dinner sounds good!”

 

Seungcheol’s face brightened in glee. “Great!” He smiled in relief. “I’ll go get my stuff.”

 

A few feet away, the stylists witnessed the conversation that went down and collectively shook their heads.

 

“Are we really not going to tell him?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“He looks so happy, though.” Mingyu said. “It could be _just_ dinner, for all we know.”

 

“Doubt it.” Jeonghan shook his head. “I want to see his reaction, though. Just for the fun of it.” He smirked.

 

“You’re evil.” A voice said.

 

They turned around to see Seungkwan standing next to them.

 

“God damn it, Seungkwan! You have to stop this thing where you just appear out of nowhere!” Mingyu exclaimed with a hand on his chest as Wonwoo patted his back.

 

“So, should we follow them on their ‘date’ so we can see for ourselves what will happen later?” Seungkwan suggested, completely ignoring Mingyu’s statement. 

 

“If I’m evil, Seungkwan is basically Satan himself.” Jeonghan said. 

 

***

 

Somehow, all 12 of them ended up following the pair to their dinner date. Fortunately, they found parking spots first so they entered the restaurant and settled down at two different tables. The waiters handed them menus and they placed their menus up high to block their faces.

 

Moments later, the door of the restaurant opened. Seungcheol came in first, holding onto the door for Doyoon. The pair was led by the waiter to a table by the window. It was the perfect seating as the others were seated diagonally from the pair.

 

“Isn’t this a little mean?” Joshua asked. “Maybe we could send him a text?”

 

They all looked at each other before saying, “Nah” simultaneously.

 

After their orders were taken, they tried their best not to make themselves seen since they didn’t have the menus as their barriers anymore. They could see Seungcheol engaging in a lively conversation with Doyoon. It was mostly just Seungcheol talking while Doyoon nodded in response as he was engaged with something on his phone.

 

“He must be dumb to not realize Doyoon isn’t really interested in the conversation.” Jihoon said. “The guy isn’t even paying attention to him! He’s on his phone half of the time. How rude!” He said with a frown.

 

“Whoa, why are you getting so defensive over him?” Jun asked.

 

“I - I don’t know.” Jihoon shrugged. “It’s just basic manners to listen, I guess. Plus, Seungcheol is pretty interesting, it wouldn’t kill to just listen to him.” 

 

Minghao raised his eyebrow at Jihoon whose face was slowly turning red for no reason.

 

Over at the other table where the interns and stylists were seated, things were well, far less sympathetic.

 

“I’m sorry Seungcheol. You’re great but I’m going to use this as blackmail whenever you disapprove my pitches.” Jeonghan cheekily said as he took pictures of Seungcheol.

 

“Really, and you say _I’m_ Satan?” Seungkwan groaned.

 

“I’m honestly surprised at how we all still have our jobs despite all the shenanigans we get into.” Chan said.

 

“Oh, Chan.” Mingyu sighed. “Believe me, if you’re the one sitting right there now, Seungcheol would go as far as dressing up as one of the waiters to spy on you.”

 

“Poor Seokmin.” Wonwoo said.

 

“What happened to Seokmin?” Vernon asked.

 

“He once went out with one of Seungcheol’s cousins who was the only girl in her family.” Jeonghan said.

 

“And he somehow got the owner to hire him and all his cousins to be waiters for the night so they could all crash their date.” Mingyu added.

 

“I’m doing this for Seokmin!” Jeonghan declared. 

 

“For Seokmin!” They cheered as softly as possible.

 

***

 

“I really recommend the marinara.” Seungcheol said. “It’s good.”

 

“Oh there’s marinara? Nice.” Doyoon said as he scanned the menu and typed something into his phone. 

 

“Seungcheol.” He said.

 

“Yes?” Seungcheol answered way too enthusiastically.

 

“Is it okay if I invite someone over? She hasn’t had dinner yet. I hope you don’t mind.” Doyoon said.

 

“Oh.” Seungcheol was flustered. “Sure.” He said despite wanting to answer otherwise.

 

_She? Maybe it’s just his sister or a friend._

 

Moments later, after their orders were placed, the restaurant door swung open and a girl came in. At first, Seungcheol didn’t really care but then he took a second glance and realized that the girl looked awfully familiar. 

 

“What’s my sister doing here?” Seungkwan yelled.

 

Everyone in the restaurant were looking at them now. Seungcheol was shocked when he realized that the boy who screamed was Seungkwan and the group of people who occupied the tables near the screaming boy were none other than his employees.

 

“What are you doing here?” Seungkwan walked up next to his sister.

 

“What are _you_ doing here?” His sister asked back.

 

“What are _all of you_ doing here?” Seungcheol asked, pointing at his employees. “And _you_ too.” He said, looking at Seungkwan’s sister in an accusing manner.

 

“Okay,” Doyoon said. “Can someone fill me in?”

 

The waiter then stepped in to arrange a table for 15 for them to settle it out.

 

“Does mum know you’re dating this guy?” Seungkwan pointed at Doyoon.

 

“Not yet-”

 

“Not yet! Girl, what else are you hiding? Pots of gold buried at our backyard? A $53 million dollar debt thanks to the pots of gold? A handsome model as your boyfriend?” Seungkwan said with a clap after each sentence.

 

“Oh, thanks!” Doyoon smiled at the compliment.

 

“Shut up.” Seungkwan snapped. “You know what? You don’t deserve my compliment. I’m on my boss’s side.”

 

“Seungkwan, please don’t make things awkward.” Seungcheol plead.

 

“I can’t believe my boss fell for you.” Chan tsked. 

 

“What?” Seungkwan’s sister said in shock.

 

“Wake me up from this nightmare.” Seungcheol buried his face into his palms.

 

“Doyoon, what did he mean by that?” Seungkwan’s sister asked.

 

“Basically, Seungcheol wants him to do another spread for the magazine because he fell for Doyoon’s - uh, amazing modeling abilities! The shoot went really well today, so yeah.” Seokmin lied.

 

“Oh, that clears up the confusion!” Doyoon said. “Just contact my agency, I’d definitely accept any offer from you guys.”

 

“Aw,” Seungkwan’s sister cooed. “I’m glad you’re working well with my little brother’s company.”

 

Seungcheol sighed in relief. 

 

“Got your back, fam.” Seokmin whispered to Seungcheol.

 

From that day onwards, Seungcheol learnt 2 things:

  1. Seokmin is a lifesaver.
  2. He should never ask models out on dates because they’re most probably taken - by one of his intern’s siblings.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by Amber (@aesthetickwan) who wanted Seungcheol to be infatuated with model!Doyoon and @hasanaheart who wanted some fluffy Jicheol (it isn't exactly fluffy but it was briefly mentioned with defensive!jihoon hohoh) I'm sorry if this wasn't the way you expected the fic to turn out and that this took so long to update but I hope you guys liked this! Feedback/comments are always appreciated!


	9. Vernon To The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungkwan gets sick and Vernon steps in to take care of him. [PART 2/3 OF REQUESTED PROMPTS]

_Ah-choo._

 

“Bless you.”

 

_Ah-choo._

 

“Bless you.”

 

_Ah-choo!_

 

“Are you okay?” Vernon asked.

 

“I just sneezed three times in a row, does it seem like I’m okay?” Seungkwan said with a stuffy nose. His nose was red and his voice was hoarse, he was definitely sick. Seeing his condition, Vernon went to the pantry and came back with a mug of hot honey lemon tea.

 

“I’m going to take you to the clinic later.” Vernon said as he placed the mug on Seungkwan’s desk.

 

“I’m not sick! _Ah-choo!”_ Seungkwan sneezed. “It’s just the flu, it’ll go away soon.”

 

“No, it won’t.” Vernon brought his hand over to Seungkwan’s forehead. “Your forehead is kinda warm, I think a fever is coming up.”

 

“Last time I checked, you were a graphics design major, not a doctor. I swear I’m fine, Vernon.” Seungkwan answered before having a coughing fit.

 

“See, this is what happens when choose to be stubborn.”

 

“I’m fine!” Seungkwan said before coughing again.

 

“Boo Seungkwan, I’m taking you to the clinic right now.” Vernon pulled Seungkwan by his arm.

 

“I’m a month older than you! Is that how you’re supposed to treat your elder?”

 

“Wow, you really sound like an old man now.” Vernon teased as he pulled a reluctant Seungkwan outside the office.

 

***

 

Seungcheol offered to drive them to the clinic despite the countless protests from Seungkwan. Getting him out of the car when they reached the clinic was a hassle. Seungkwan was holding on tightly to the car door, refusing to set foot into the clinic. After agreeing on a leeway on arriving late to work, he immediately let go of the car door and obediently walked into the clinic. The doctor gave him medication and a few days of leave to rest. He frowned at the medication that laid before him. 

 

“You must have gotten the cold from visiting Dino at the hospital the other day.” Seungcheol said, glancing at the rearview mirror to see a sulky Seungkwan who was looking out the window gloomily.

 

“I told you to wash your hands before you ate, did you not?” Vernon turned to the side to face him. 

 

Seungkwan propped his head onto his hand. “No.” He answered.

 

“Well, look what happened.” Vernon said. “I’m going to get you a hand sanitizer soon. Then you don’t have to complain about the “long walk” to the toilet.”

 

“Excuse you, I’m sick! You should be nicer to me!” Seungkwan said.

 

“I thought you said you weren’t sick?” Vernon teased.

 

“25 steps is a long walk, okay?” Seungkwan mumbled under his breath.

 

Seungcheol grinned as he listened to their bickering throughout the drive back to Seungkwan’s house.

 

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Seungcheol asked Seungkwan when they reached the entrance of his apartment. Seungkwan moved to Seoul alone for his studies and his entire family is back in Jeju-do, leaving no one to take care of him.

 

“I’ll be with him.” Vernon said as he got down from Seungcheol’s car. “I’ll take the bus home later.”

 

“Okay.” Seungcheol said. “Call me if you need a ride.” 

 

With that, Seungcheol’s car drove into the distance.

 

“I never gave you permission to come over, by the way.” Seungkwan crossed his arms and started walking into the building.

 

“I have your medication and you’re not stopping me.”

 

Seungkwan said nothing and kept on walking. Vernon grinned and caught up with him as they both walked side by side to into the apartment.

 

“Don’t stand so close. You’re might get sick later and then _I_ have to take care of you.”

 

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

 

Seungkwan rolled his eyes and they waited for the elevator to descend in comfortable silence.

 

After tucking Seungkwan in bed, Vernon went back home to get hot chicken soup from his mother. At first he wanted to cook it himself but he knew he couldn’t risk Seungkwan’s kitchen setting up in flames. About half an hour later, he returned back to Seungkwan’s apartment to see that the boy was awake and was on his laptop.

 

“You feeling better?”

 

“Yeah.” Seungkwan answered meekly. His hair was ruffled from the nap he had earlier and his eyes were droopy from fatigue. 

 

“My mum made soup for you. After you drink this, you’ll have to take your medication.” Vernon said while taking out a bowl from the kitchen cabinets.

 

When he brought the bowl of hot chicken soup over to Seungkwan, he saw that the boy was working from his laptop.

 

“You need to rest, you can’t be working in this condition.” He nagged.

 

“It’s just some quick e-mails for the budget.” Seungkwan answered before took a sip of the soup. 

 

Vernon frowned. “Still, you should be resting.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Seungkwan waved him off. “I know, mum.”

 

After taking his medication, Seungkwan felt drowsy. He struggled to keep his eyes open but in the end, he fell asleep with his hands resting on his laptop. Vernon witnessed the entire thing and he tried his best not to laugh. 

 

Once Seungkwan’s breathing became steady; a sign that the boy was fully asleep, Vernon gently took the laptop away from his hands. He saw that Seungkwan has over 10 e-mails to get back to and a few documents to make amendments to. He made himself a cup of tea and sat at the dining table with the laptop, spending the night completing Seungkwan’s unfinished work. He was no business major of course, but Soonyoung had once thought him about reviewing budget statements and he was once assigned to tasks similar like this so it wasn’t that much of a challenge for him to understand what he needed to do.

 

The next morning, Seungkwan woke up feeling much better. His head felt much lighter, his nose was less stuffy and his throat didn’t hurt anymore. He rubbed his eyes with his hands and the first thing that came clear to his vision was Vernon sleeping on his dining table with his arm as his pillow. 

 

 _“His neck must be hurting.”_ Seungkwan thought to himself. He saw that his laptop was next to the sleeping boy and it hit him that he still has work to do but when he turned on his laptop, he found that the e-mails have been replied and the documents have been reviewed. 

 

At the same time, Vernon woke up. He groaned at the pain which stretched all over his neck and shoulders.

 

“How are you feeling today?” Vernon asked the moment he regained consciousness.

 

Seungkwan stood in silence.

 

“Did your sore throat get worse? Have you lost your voice?” Vernon stood up and looked at Seungkwan in concern even though the pain was practically killing his back.

 

At impulse, Seungkwan gave Vernon a big hug.

 

“I hate you.” Seungkwan said. “I hate you so, so much.”

 

“Is that any way to speak to your caretaker who’s also one month younger than you?” Vernon chuckled and returned back the hug. “Okay, get away from me. Your germs are getting all over me! Seeing that you’re back to your sassy self, I take that you’re feeling better. I’m gonna go shower now and we’ll go get breakfast together.”

 

Seungkwan let go and he tried his best not to blurt out what he wanted to say earlier.

 

 _“I like you.”_ He thought. _“I like you so, so much.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by Amber (@aesthetickwan)! I hope this was fluffy and funny! Writing Verkwan is always a joy and dun dun dun did Seungkwan just admitted that he likes Vernon?? What do you think will happen next?


	10. Won-nonymous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wonwoo looks back on his relationship with Mingyu. [PART 3/3 OF REQUESTED PROMPTS] Also, this chapter is purely fluff and romance! No crack ahead! Ahahah

Wonwoo was upset. Photoshoots are usually one of the highlights of his days since he gets to do what he loves and he gets to do it with a certain someone he loves. He has been looking forward to this particular day because Jeonghan is away on that trip to Italy to attend a fashion show which leaves him to working with Mingyu alone. 

 

However, things were not going as how he planned. The model who came in for the shoot today has been flirting with Mingyu ever since she stepped into the studio. At first it started off with harmless compliments about how charming his smile was and how she liked he did his hair but then it turned into flirtatious comments and Wonwoo overheard her asking him if he was seeing anyone at the moment. Mingyu politely dismissed her question and went back to styling her hair.

 

 _How bold._ Wonwoo thought. 

 

Besides being upset, he was also envious. He wished he had her courage to tell Mingyu how beautiful he is inside out but he could never muster the courage to tell him so and to see this girl who literally just met him an hour ago do that made him upset with a pang of jealousy. At the same time, he also felt that it was irrational for him to feel that way because Mingyu wasn’t even exactly “his” to begin with and people deserve every right to talk to him however they want. 

 

Nevertheless, feelings suck because they’re capable of overpowering your entire being.

 

“Alright for the next pose let’s try,” Wonwoo walked over to the model. “a captivating gaze?”

 

Mingyu was standing on the other end of the photo area and Wonwoo deliberately looked at him as he guided the model on her expressions. Instead of directly guiding the model, Wonwoo ran his thumb over his lower lip as he sent a smoldering gaze towards Mingyu.

 

“I’m sorry but could you show me the look again?” The model said. “I didn’t catch it.”

 

Mingyu seemed unfazed by Wonwoo’s act as he just looked on with his arms crossed. 

 

Wonwoo sighed. “Like this.” He turned to the model and ran his hand through his hair but then glanced towards Mingyu with a tiny smirk.

 

Mingyu must have noticed that something was up now because his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

 

“So is this expression okay?” The model asked as she sported a gaze towards the front.

 

“Yeah.” Wonwoo nodded. “Maybe you can do a _flirtatious_ wink too.” He said before winking towards Mingyu’s direction.

 

Mingyu’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” He mouthed.

 

Wonwoo ignored his question and went back to his camera. “Yeah, just give me that, ‘I’m about to snatch your man’ look.” 

 

Mingyu uncrossed his arms and looked at Wonwoo in bewilderment. 

 

After the shoot ended, both of them were left alone in the studio. Wonwoo was clearing up his equipment when he felt Mingyu’s presence next to him.

 

“What on earth were you doing earlier?” Mingyu asked in a stern tone.

 

“Guiding the model on her expressions.” Wonwoo answered innocently.

 

“Really?” Mingyu said in a skeptical tone. “And you had to look at me the entire time?”

 

“Did I?” Wonwoo feigned innocence and Mingyu wasn’t buying any of it.

 

“You know you’re a horrible liar, right?” Mingyu frowned. “I was hoping that you would be honest with me but I’ll have you know that I’m disappointed with what happened. Come and talk to me once you’ve thought it through.” He said before walking out of the studio with his bag hung over his shoulders.

 

At that moment, Wonwoo felt like the _shittiest_ person alive.

 

***

 

Wonwoo didn’t know what to do. He knew that in some way he had disappointed Mingyu and that really bothered him. He doesn’t know how he should confront this problem as he had no one to confide to. Jeonghan was the only one whom he confides to when it comes to issues relating to Mingyu since he knows both of them the best but alas, Jeonghan wasn’t here to help him. Though the interns would happily help him, he didn’t want to involve them in this mess. He sighed in exasperation. Why on earth did he let his feelings get the most of him? He ended everything in his own hands and there was probably no way to fix this mess. Just when the broken pieces were slowly patching up, he broke them into smaller pieces. How he wished someone would just miraculously show up and help him with this conflict.

 

“Hey Wonwoo, do you need help cleaning up?”

 

Wonwoo looked up to see Joshua standing at the door. Suddenly the world around him was a little brighter and for some ridiculous reason, Wonwoo felt like there was light shining through Joshua while a church choir sung faintly in the background.

 

“Wonwoo.” Joshua said again. “Do you need help?”

 

“Oh,” Wonwoo snapped away from his thoughts. “not now. Maybe later.” He said.

 

“Alright, I’m done for the day so just hit me up if you need anything!” 

 

“Definitely.”

 

***

 

To: [ask.joshua@seventeen.com](mailto:ask.joshua@seventeen.com)

From: [wononymous@gmail.com](mailto:wononymous@gmail.com)

 

_Title: Help._

 

_Dear Joshua,_

 

_I’m in a bit of a dilemma right now. I have made someone who is incredibly important to me upset. I let my feelings get the most of me and have acted irrationally towards him. He told me to reflect on what I did and I completely regretted it but I don’t know how I should approach him._

 

_What should I do? He is very important to me and I don’t want to lose him, please help me._

 

_Thank you._

 

Wonwoo hit Send right after he typed out the last sentence. He was too embarrassed to even proofread it. He can’t believe his last resort was to pose as a reader asking for advice from his company’s advice column but it seemed like the most appropriate thing to do and now all that’s left to do is to wait for a reply.

 

For the first two minutes, he kept refreshing his inbox, hoping to see a reply from Joshua. 10 minutes later, there was still no response. Office hours was about to end soon and Wonwoo knew Joshua doesn’t usually work from home so he quickly went over to the writers’ office to see if Joshua was still working. He pretended to walk past the office and he saw from the corner of his eye that he was still on his computer. He then walked back to see that the other writers were all packing up their things.

 

_Could he be answering my e-mail?_

 

He got curious and decided to walk by the office again, trying to see if Joshua was staring intently at his computer. Usually when Joshua answers the e-mails sent the advice column, he would thoughtfully stare at the computer screen with a blank expression. It was ironic, but so is Joshua’s entire being in general. 

 

As he walked by, he saw that Joshua had _that look_ on his face and when he was on his way back to the studio, Seokmin called him.

 

“Wonwoo, why are you walking back and forth the hallway?” He asked.

 

Wonwoo walked two steps backwards. “Exercise.” He simply said before turning to Joshua. “Joshua, aren’t you packing up?” 

 

“Huh?” Joshua looked up from his computer screen. “Yeah, soon. I just need to settle this first.”

 

“Responding to the e-mails for the advice column?” Wonwoo asked hopefully.

 

“Oh, please.” Jun snorted. “He’s taking a quiz to test how well he knows internet slang.”

 

“I got 11/13! My knowledge on internet slang is on fleek!” Joshua cheered.

 

“That’s not how you use that phrase.” Minghao deadpanned.

 

Wonwoo knew that they would start bickering soon and to avoid himself from being involved in that, he went back to the studio to pack his things. He sincerely hoped that Joshua would respond to his e-mail soon because he couldn’t bear the thought of having an awkward relationship with Mingyu again.

 

For dinner, Wonwoo made himself a bowl of ramen as it was the only thing left in his cabinet that didn’t require much cooking. As he was eating the ramen, he couldn’t help but think of the times he shared with Mingyu back in their university days. On days where they pulled an all-nighter for an exam or a paper that was due the next day, Mingyu would always make Wonwoo a bowl of ramen for supper. Over the bowl of ramen which they would sometimes share, both boys would talk about their day, their worries and whatever that came into mind at that time. 

 

However, it was also over a bowl of ramen where Wonwoo confessed to him. It happened on that night where Mingyu was animatedly telling him about something funny that happened earlier. The way his eyes crinkled as he tried to hold himself back from bursting into laughter, the way his canines seeped through his lips as he spoke and the way his lisp became more prominent as he was reaching the climax of the story was all ever so endearing to Wonwoo. He loves hearing the sound of his laughter, loves his caramel tinted skin, loves how considerate he is to everyone, loves how the littlest things in life is capable of making him jump in joy and it was at that moment when he realized something - he loves Mingyu.

 

“I love you.” Wonwoo blurted out while Mingyu was still talking to him.

 

“What?” Mingyu stopped mid-sentence to ask.

 

“I love you.” Wonwoo said in a tone softer than the first time but Mingyu heard him.

 

“Well,” Mingyu adjusted his position on the chair. “I mean - we’re like bros, brothers - of course we love each other.”

 

It was then when Wonwoo’s heart broke to pieces. From that day onwards, their friendship gradually got more awkward and they slowly drifted apart. Wonwoo never told anyone about it but the period where they drifted apart was the hardest for him. It took him a long time to accept what has become of them but it was as if fate wanted them to reconcile. Never would he have expected to see Mingyu again, let alone work with him. People have always said that fate has an odd way of working and Wonwoo thinks it’s true because from not being in contact for years, they ended up meeting again in Seventeen.

 

But now Wonwoo regrets taking things for granted because he’s back to that night where things got complicated for the both of them. He placed his chopsticks down as he lost his appetite. When he was about to bring his bowl to the sink, his phone dinged with a notification.

 

_Message from Joshua._

 

He unlocked his phone to read the texts Joshua sent him.

 

_Wonwoo, this issue seems to be very personal and I really appreciate that you trust me enough to share this issue with. Like what Mingyu said, just think it through. Not from what happened earlier but from Day 1 itself. I don’t know what had happened between the both of you but I know Mingyu cares for you so don’t jump into conclusions. He’s asking you to reflect for a reason._

-9:30PM

_Be honest with him and tell him how you really feel._

-9:32PM

_Also, please don’t be surprised with how I knew “wononymous” was you. First rule of anonymity is to never include a part of your name in your fake e-mail address but not to worry, this will definitely be between us only._

-9:35PM

_Peace out!_

-9:35PM

 

Wonwoo just chuckled in disbelief but Joshua did have a point. He sat back down at his dining table and spent the night reflecting on the dynamics of their relationship. At one point, Mingyu never pushed him away, it was him who pushed Mingyu away. It was him who decided to not talk to Mingyu when they met in classes, it was him who wanted to avoid bumping in Mingyu outside of campus, it was him who drifted away from him. He vaguely remembered how Mingyu would try to talk to him, saying, “We need to talk.” but he would always avoid meeting Mingyu because he feared for what might come. It was probably the time to face his fears.

 

***

 

“Morning.”

 

“Good morning.”

 

“You want coffee?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“Wanna stop by Milk & Honey?” Mingyu suggested.

 

“Sure.”

 

The drive to the cafe was relatively quiet, except for times when Wonwoo would ask Mingyu for directions to the cafe and when Mingyu would point out the restaurants they used to visit during their university days.

 

After getting their respective cups of coffee and slices of honey cake to go, they walked to the nearby park where they sat on one of the benches. Wonwoo clenched his fist nervously as his mind raced with thoughts. He took a deep breath and turned towards Mingyu.

 

“So,” He started. “I’ve thought a lot about what happened and what had happened and I just really want to apologize for the times I’ve hurt you.”

 

“I could say the same.” Mingyu said. “I’ve definitely said or did things that have hurt you as well and I want to apologize for that too.”

 

“I’m a coward. I fear the harmless and I brave the threat. When I should have sat down and listened to you, I ran away instead which caused the gap between us and I don’t want that to happen again so I will tell you everything that I’ve been wanting to say.”

 

“Mingyu.” He continued. “Ever since that night I told you I loved you, I know things haven’t been the same for us but I meant it then and I still mean it now. Love is a strong word and we don’t simply just love something. Loving something goes way beyond interest, passion and infatuation. I don’t know if it was greed or what but I never gave you the chance to tell me how you felt because I was so scared of rejection.”

 

Mingyu just stared into the distance, absorbing everything that Wonwoo told him.

 

“On the night when you kissed me, maybe it was foolish for me to think so but I couldn’t help but think there was hope. I don’t know how you feel right now but I just want to put it out there that you’re important to me. I completely understand if you want to remain just friends because what matters to me now is not losing you again.”

 

The weight on Wonwoo’s shoulders were completely lifted off after he told Mingyu his honest thoughts. It was hard to tell what Mingyu was thinking because there was no change in his expression.

 

“But I never left.” Mingyu said after a long pause. “And I’ll never leave.”

 

Though he tries not to be, Wonwoo was a pessimist by nature so Mingyu’s response took him by shock.

 

“I was confused and was still trying to understand myself, you know?” Mingyu said, hands clasping his cup of coffee. “In many ways, we’re both cowards. I couldn’t accept something that you could; myself. And when I did and was ready to tell you I loved you too, you stopped believing. It was painful for me too because when I accepted myself, you rejected yourself. At the end of the day, we’re both scared; scared of the pettiest things and I realized this which is why I wanted you to think about this. I want to know where you stand because I never moved an inch away.”

 

Wonwoo looked at Mingyu in the eye before pulling him in for a long hug. For introverts like them, words sometimes speak louder than actions. Having expressed how they honestly felt about each other was exactly what they needed. Bottled up feelings have now freed from being confined for a long time.

 

Here’s to being fearless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As requested by Payal (@payal-writes) who requested for Wonwoo to seek advice from Joshua anonymously and @mingyu_ssi who requested for a part where Wonwoo gets jealous over a model who's flirting with Mingyu and starts competing with the model. This chapter took me the longest to write because I really wanted progress between both of them and I just strayed away from the original concept. It gradually became quite emotional and dramatic (???) and I apologize because there's no funny element in this huhu. I personally quite like this chapter because they've finally sorted things out, yay! The crack will return soon.


	11. End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol had no choice, he simply had to do it and tell everyone Seventeen was shutting down.

Soonyoung stood up from his seat and solemnly sighed as he took his meeting packet from his desk.

 

“It’s time.” He said to Seungcheol.

 

Jihoon walked over to Seungcheol and gave him a light pat on the shoulder as a consoling gesture before following Soonyoung out of the office.

 

As he had some time alone in his office, he took a good look at his workplace. From his view, he could see the three departments and he vividly remembers each of his employee’s first day of work at Seventeen. From shy and anxious individuals, they blossomed into outgoing, competitive and mischievous little devils, as Jihoon would say. He smiled, knowing that he should make today as fun as possible as there probably won’t be another day like this.

 

Despite being a few feet away from the meeting room, he could already hear the loud chattering coming from his employees. He took his time to observe the antics of his employees one last time before he breaks the news to them. He saw how Mingyu and Wonwoo were much more closer; a good sign that they’ve settled their internal conflicts. The writers were also laughing and joking around and the thought of seeing their faltered smiles later ached his heart. And of course, his interns whom he treasured like younger brothers. Everyone were like elder brothers to the interns. They took care of them by guiding them through projects, taught them new skills and of course, got them involved in their many shenanigans. Although Chan was the newest addition to the team, he got along with everyone in a snap. Everyone immediately took a liking to him and his creative ideas, especially Jeonghan who openly declares Chan as his baby.

 

Seungcheol felt especially sad when he saw Chan. He had just joined their team not too long ago and now he has to face such a thing. It wasn’t fair but Seungcheol had no choice. It simply had to be done.

 

 _I’m so sorry, Dino._ He thought.

 

With a heavy heart, he opened the door to the meeting room. Soonyoung and Jihoon glanced at him with uneasy looks.

 

“Alright, guys.” Seungcheol said after clearing his throat. “Thank you all for coming to today’s meeting.”

 

“What concept are we going for this month?” Seungkwan chirped.

 

“Oh, since it’s Spring now - why not we go for a concept that’s light, fresh and happy!” Seokmin suggested.

 

“I’m getting floral and pastel vibes!” Jeonghan added.

 

Everyone nodded in agreement at the suggestion.

 

“This concept is great!” Chan said. “Since our magazine targets young readers, we should incorporate positive and uplifting elements into our next issue. To remind them that there are better days ahead.”

 

Everyone collectively looked at Chan and praised his input.

 

“Better days ahead.” Seungcheol said while he dramatically held onto his chest. Unlike the others, the editors had a gloomy look on their faces which worried the others.

 

“What’s wrong? I think the idea is really good! It suits the season too.” Minghao said.

 

“It’s just-” Soonyoung stopped.

 

Jihoon looked over to his side and gave Seungcheol a knowing nod.

 

“Well, guys.” Seungcheol said after a brief pause. “Today’s meeting is not about next issue’s concept. It’s about something more serious.”

 

“What’s going on?” Vernon asked, wide eyed.

 

“It really hurts me to say this.” Seungcheol said before briefly looking away. Soonyoung patted his back as he held in sniffles.

 

The rest of them were confused, not knowing what to expect. Their boss is probably the most optimistic and strong-willed person they’ve ever known and seeing him in this state concerned them.

 

Seungcheol let out a sharp breath before using his thumb to wipe the tears forming at the corner of his eyes. “The Seventeen headquarters here will be closing down.” He said after a long struggle.

 

Everyone at the table went silent. No one knew what to say. It was something they’d never expect to hear. Seventeen is their second home, they’ve all bonded like brothers and hearing that this bond is bound to break broke their hearts.

 

“Wait.” Seungkwan spoke. “This is a joke, right? I mean, it is, right?” He quivered. He wanted everyone to break out and start laughing saying that, “Yes, it’s a joke! We got you good right?’ but everyone’s expressions were stone cold.

 

“Do you think we’d joke around with a matter this serious?” Jihoon said.

 

“But, we’re doing well in our sales. Our magazines sells.” Mingyu interjected. “Why are we closing down?”

 

“I got an e-mail from the headquarters in the States a few days ago, actually. They reasoned that there’s not enough funding and they need to cut down on the global franchises.” Seungcheol answered.

 

“We tried reasoning with them, tried to show them that we do have enough to go on but they couldn’t compromise.” Soonyoung further explained.

 

“What will happen to all of us?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“The future is uncertain.” Jihoon said. “Some of us might get transferred and some might have to find new jobs.”

 

“I’m really sorry, guys. We really tried our best.” Seungcheol said.

 

“And Jun recently received a restraining order from Amanda Seyfried’s lawyer.” Soonyoung said which caused further shock.

 

“What?” Chan exclaimed. “I thought it was all just a tiny misunderstanding and Seungcheol had settled it?”

 

“Yeah.” Jun answered. “I guess I have crossed some borders.”

 

“How long has this been going on?” Seungkwan asked. “Are we in trouble too?”

 

“Are we going to jail?” Vernon cried.

 

“Guys, guys. Calm down. You’re not.” Seungcheol assured. “It’s just that Jun has to settle some paperwork and generally stay away from Amanda Seyfried.”

 

It was quite possibly the worst day of their lives. One bad news was delivered after another, each more shocking than the previous. The meeting room has never been this quiet and full of tension. 

 

“Is today our last day or work?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“Unfortunately, yes.” Seungcheol answered. “The contractors will be taking down the furniture tomorrow.”

 

Everyone stiffened. They weren’t even given prior notice and they didn’t know what to do next. It was like a nightmare they couldn’t wake up from no matter how hard they pinched themselves.

 

“Isn’t this too sudden?” Joshua said. “Can’t we make publish another issue. At least let us publish this spring issue. Like Chan said, the least we could do before we leave is to assure there are better days ahead for everyone.”

 

Suddenly, a loud wailing noise filled the room. It was Seungkwan. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he cried.

 

“B-b-but I d-d-don’t want to st-top working h-here.” Seungkwan said between tears. 

 

Vernon got up to reach for the packet of tissue in his pocket. (His mum has always told him to keep a packet of tissues in his pocket because you never know when there’s an emergency like a sudden flu or spilled soup on the table or well, your crush crying his heart out) He handed the packet to Seungkwan who accepted them. Though he wiped his tears, more tears kept flowing out.

 

Seeing one of the youngest in team cry made everyone more gloomy than they were. Seokmin who was sitting next to Seungkwan bit his lip as he tried to suppress his tears from flowing out.

 

Seungcheol felt like the worst person ever. He was disappointed at himself for putting his employees in this state, especially the interns. Seeing Seungkwan cry and hearing him say how he doesn’t want to stop working at Seventeen made him even more disappointed at himself that he already was.

 

“I’m really sorry, everyone. We tried. We really did.” Seungcheol said.

 

“We know you did. We know you guys would do anything for Seventeen but what has happened is inevitable.” Vernon said while he comforted  a wailing Seungkwan.

 

“I may have just joined the team but I have enjoyed every single day here.” Chan said. 

 

“M-m-me too.” Seungkwan raised his hand.

 

Seungcheol looked at Jihoon and Soonyoung with a frown but they just shook their heads.

 

“On behalf of the interns, I can definitely say that we’ve learnt so much from the company. Every day spent here felt like a day at the theme park, we each take on different challenges and rides. It’s tough but at the end, it was all worth it because it’s fun.” Vernon said.

 

“Vernon.” Wonwoo gasped.

 

“This little guy always has the wisest words.” Jun patted Vernon’s back.

 

“You know what, Vernon is right.” Mingyu said. “Working here has been the biggest joy in my life and I’m sure that applies to everyone here too. We made so much good memories here.  We shouldn’t be sad.”

 

“Just because we’re not going to work together anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be brothers anymore - that’s something which lasts a lifetime.” Chan said.

 

At this point, almost everyone had tears in their eyes. It was true. The bond and the memories they made could never be bought or replaced but they could always make new ones.

 

“As a going away gift, the editors and I have prepared a special video for everyone.” Seungcheol said.

 

Jihoon took the projector’s remote and pressed onto the red button. Minghao stood up to turn off the lights in the meeting room.

 

The screen then showed a group picture of them during Seokmin and Vernon’s birthday party at Seungcheol’s home. One picture itself brought so many memories at once. Then, it started playing videos of them which Vernon has documented over time. From their Secret Valentine event to Seokmin and Joshua singing Breaking Free drunk and little pranks they play on each other, the videos played one by one.

 

Soon, sniffles and wailing (mainly from Seungkwan) were heard. Everyone seemed to be touched by the video prepared by the editors. 

 

“Ah, no wonder Jihoon asked me for the videos.” Vernon whispered to himself.

 

“My God, I can’t breathe.” Seungkwan said in between sobs. “I need more tissues!”

 

As the video reached the end, the screen turned black and messages popped up while Auld Lang Syne played in the background.

 

“Auld Lang Syne? Really?” Jun mumbled.

 

_“Thank you all so much for everything you’ve done in Seventeen._

 

_We appreciate every single one of you._

 

_We love you guys too much (yes, Jihoon too) to let you guys go without a gift,_

 

_So forgive us for doing wrong_

 

_Because,”_

 

The screen momentarily turned black before words starting animatedly popping out.

 

_“You just got punk’d!, Happy April Fools Day!”_

 

The editors, stylists and writers all stood from their chairs to pop confetti onto the interns. Auld Lang Syne was long replaced by some badly produced electronic music. The interns just sat at their seats motionless as their co-workers jumped about throwing confetti at them.

 

“I knew it was a joke!” Seungkwan exclaimed but his words were incoherent thanks to his  stuffy nose. “I’m shutting down this place instead!”

 

“Sorry, guys but it’s a Seventeen tradition to prank the interns.” Seungcheol said. “But really though, you guys bought it and took it so well I felt like the worst person ever.”

 

“I don’t know what to believe in anymore.” Chan said in a deadpan.

 

“So this means Seventeen is still running, right?” Vernon asked, just to be sure.

 

“Yes, it is.” Soonyoung nodded. 

 

“Okay, but if the others knew,” Chan continued with a confused look on his face. “how were they so surprised?”

 

“Acting, my child.” Jeonghan answered. 

 

“You guys are so good at it, like Seungcheol even cried for real!” Vernon pointed out.

 

“Eye drops, my child.” Seungcheol said before revealing a tiny bottle of eye drops from his jacket pocket.

 

“No wonder you looked back for a moment!” Seungkwan pointed his finger accusingly at Seungcheol. “I’ve never felt so - oh my God, I need to just - I’m so done.” He waved his hands.

 

“We planned this just yesterday when we sent you guys out for errands.” Mingyu said.

 

“Yeah, we only planned the part where Seventeen-is-going-to-shut-down and not the part where Jun-has-a-flippin’-restraining-order-from-Amanda-Seyfried!” Jun shook his head while the others laughed and gave Soonyoung high 5’s.

 

“I don’t know where it came from but I just blurted it out.” Soonyoung laughed.

 

“And you’re lucky I managed to go along with it!” Jun said.

 

“I swear I almost lost it at that point.” Wonwoo said. “And when Joshua went all sentimental.”

 

“That which made Seungkwan burst into tears.” Seokmin laughed.

 

“Honestly, the prank was brilliant. I’d usually know if something was up but this got me so good.” Chan said.

 

“And we got to see Seungkwan cry.” Vernon said.

 

“I hate this.” Seungkwan pouted. “And all of you.”

 

“You know you love us.” Minghao said. “Let’s all have a group hug!”

 

“Sorry, kids.” Seungcheol said before pulling everyone in for a group hug.

 

“I hate April Fools too.” Seungkwan groaned as everyone tightened the hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it too predictable? AHAHAHAH I hope this got you good like the interns but I guess it's a little too predictable. I'm really sorry if this chapter shocked you. I promise I'm still updating this but I've been a little busy lately thanks to uni but hey hey I managed to whip out this little chapter. I hope this was somehow still entertaining and funny! Happy April Fools, everyone! :D (I'll change the chapter title soon, don't worry!)


	12. Ikea Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they take a short trip to Ikea and Wonwoo feels like a dad to five kids.

"Oh crap!”

 

A loud crash boomed across the office which sent the people who were in their respective offices running to the common area. 

 

“What happened?” Soonyoung asked.

 

At the common area, dismantled office chairs were seen sprawled across the sofa after what seemed like a collision. Certain parts of the leather sofa were scratched and torn due to the impact of the crash. The writers hung their heads low as everyone looked on.

 

“Well, we wanted to see who’d be the fastest to reach the end with the office chairs.” Seokmin answered.

 

“I’m not going to even ask why you guys thought that was a good idea but please do share how did _that_ lead to _this_.” Seungcheol said with his hands on his hips.

 

“Joshua and I each sat on a chair and Seokmin and Minghao pushed us to see who would reach first.” Jun chuckled nervously.

 

“Things somehow got out of hand but we managed to jump off before crashing!” Minghao said. “So, yay?”

 

“No.” Jihoon said.

 

“We’re sorry.” Seokmin apologized on behalf of the writers. “We’ll replace the broken furniture.”

 

“Hm.” Seungcheol nodded. “The old sofa had to go away at one point, anyway. Alright, here’s the company card - go buy the needed furniture.”

 

Everyone gasped at the sight of the company card being handed to Seokmin.

 

“It’s glowing.” Seungkwan gasped. “The credit card is glowing.”

 

“Oh yeah, Wonwoo.” Soonyoung said. “Aren’t you going to Ikea after work to shop for furniture for your new place?”

 

Wonwoo groaned. He was hoping he could have some alone time to shop on his own. “Yes.” He answered reluctantly.

 

“Perfect! Okay, I appoint the interns to follow along as well, to carry the chairs and what not. Get all the necessary items and arrange for a delivery service for the sofa. I trust you kids.”

 

“Really? You still trust them after they broke a sofa and two office chairs?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow.

 

“Ikea shopping! I love Ikea.” Chan grinned. “Oh, let’s have dinner there too!”

 

“That’s a good idea! Seokmin and I will come since Jun and Joshua are busy with work.” Minghao said.

 

“Is Wonwoo going to drive?” Vernon asked.

 

“I guess so.” Wonwoo shrugged. 

 

 _“Ikeaaaaaaa!”_ Seungkwan sang.

 

Mingyu laughed when he saw Wonwoo’s faltered facial expression. “Good luck.” He patted his back.

 

And that was how Wonwoo ended up driving five people in his SUV to Ikea. The car ride was peaceful until Seungkwan discovered an AUX cord kept inside one of the side compartments. 

 

“Pass me the AUX cord!” Seokmin demanded.

 

“No. We’re going to listen to my music first!” Seungkwan huffed. “There’s still about,” He paused to check his phone. “five songs more.”

 

“Five? I’m not going to deal with five more girl group songs!” Seokmin whined. “Why can’t we listen to my songs instead?”

 

“Oh, hell no, I’m not listening to your indie rock music.”

 

“Excuse me, what’s wrong with indie rock?” Seokmin challenged.

 

“Guys, please-” Vernon pleaded. He had the worst luck of being seated in between the both of them.

 

“Excuse you, what’s wrong with girl groups then? How dare you-” Seungkwan reached over to grab Seokmin.

 

“Okay!” Wonwoo yelled. “Enough. No one gets to use the AUX cord.” He pulled out the cord with one hand while the other steered the steering wheel. “We’ll just listen to the radio.”

 

Minghao who was sitting at the front seat reached for the buttons to change the settings. The car was then filled with mainstream music from a random radio station.

 

“Can we change the station?” Seungkwan asked after the song ended and Chan shot him an exasperated look from the backseat.

 

“If anyone says anything about the music one more time, you guys can walk to Ikea yourselves.” Wonwoo said.

 

After that, no one dared to bring up anything related to the music playing in the car.

 

Upon reaching Ikea, the boys rushed over to the showrooms aligned across the warehouse. The first showroom was a living room designed with fancy and minimalistic furniture. Black curtains hung above the fake windows and a black leather sofa which had pillows with intricate designs arranged neatly by the side was placed in the middle of the showroom. On the coffee table, there were scented candles and fashion magazines placed for aesthetic purposes. Behind the sofa was a dining table and a large bookshelf made of burgundy wood.

 

Seungkwan excitedly went over to the sofa and dramatically crossed his legs.

 

“I’ve been waiting for your arrival, Seokmin.” He said in a posh tone.

 

“Oh, I could say the same.” Seokmin played along. “Fancy place you have here.”

 

Seungkwan then chuckled in an exaggerated manner. “Darling, you call this fancy? You should see my penthouse then!”

 

“You mean, that?” Seokmin pointed over to another showroom for a mini bathroom in a studio apartment.

 

The others who were watching their antics laughed upon hearing Seokmin’s witty remark.

 

“Alright,” Wonwoo said. “We should go to the chairs section to choose the office chairs and sofa for the office and also my new apartment.” He pointed over to the area on the opposite which had a wide array of chairs.

 

“Oh! Let’s get a swivel chair.” Seokmin said before sitting atop one of the many office chairs.

 

The chairs were presented across the open space so customers could try sitting on them. Everyone wasted no time to sit on them to see which one is the comfiest. They twirled around and sat on various chairs.

 

“Make sure not to crash anything, guys. We can’t afford to replace this entire area and Seungcheol will most definitely fire us.” Wonwoo reminded.

 

 _“Wheeeeeeee!”_ Vernon rolled his chair past Wonwoo.

 

“Guys, please listen to me-”

 

“Whoa, this is fun!” Chan said after being pushed by Seungkwan on one of the swivel chairs.

 

“Seriously, guys. Stop.” Wonwoo said. He brought his hand up and rubbed his forehead.

 

“I think in terms of _swivelness_ , Patrik is does the job.” Seokmin said as he spun the orange chair.

 

“But if you’re talking about comfort, Volmar takes the throne.” Minghao said.

 

“What’s Patrik and Volmar?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“The names of the furniture, duh.” Seungkwan said. “You do know they have names, right?”

 

“Well, yeah.” Wonwoo lifted his shoulders. “I mean, of course but isn’t it easier to just identify the furniture by its characteristics? For example, the orange swivel chair or the black leathered swivel chair.” He pointed at the chairs.

 

“Ouch, Wonwoo.” Chan placed his hand on his chest. “They have names for a reason.” 

 

“Yeah, Wonwoo. How dare you hurt Patrik and Volmar!” Seokmin said.

 

“They’re inanimate objects!” Wonwoo said in defeat.

 

“You have no soul.” Minghao shook his head.

 

“Fine.” Wonwoo sighed. “How about this chair - uh, Flintan? It resembles the chairs in our office.”

 

Wonwoo pointed at another swivel chair which had a back-support which is perfect for the writers since they spend most of their time at their desks.

 

“Oh, Flintan is great! Vernon, write down the code on the paper!” Seokmin instructed.

 

“Time to look at the sofas!” Chan declared. 

 

The two writers and interns all walked to the other section. Wonwoo sighed. He felt like a father of five children. He fished out his phone from his back pocket to send a quick text.

 

_I feel like a dad to five overactive kids. This is harder than I thought it’d be. Help._

6:36pm

 

Minutes later, a reply came.

 

Mingyu

_Really? Well it sucks to be you hahahahahahahaahah_

6:39pm

 

_Thanks, that was really helpful._

_> :(_

6:40pm

Mingyu

_Furniture shopping is always fun, cmon. Plus, you get to eat the iconic ikea meatballs later_

_You can do it!!! <3_

6:41pm

_Good point._

6:42pm

 

 _“Meatballs. Do it for the meatballs.”_ He chanted to himself.

 

“Hey, Wonwoo! What do you think of Norsborg for the common area at the office?” Seokmin called out.

 

Wonwoo looked over to see Seokmin pointing over at a fairly large grey fabric corner sofa. It matched the colour scheme of the office and it looked comfortable enough for the guests and clients to sit on.

 

“Norsborg? Norsborg looks great!” Wonwoo smiled. “Also, guys, we’re getting the meatballs later right?”

 

***

 

After sitting on other sofas to compare which one is better, they all collectively agreed on getting their first choice for the office. Wonwoo also decided to get a smaller version of Norsborg for this apartment.

 

While they were walking to another section, Seungkwan saw a leathered armchair and immediately told Vernon to sit on it.

 

“Do the cribs thing!” Seungkwan said, pointing the armchair excitedly.

 

Vernon hid his face behind his hands before saying, “Hey MTV, welcome to my crib! This is my cool leather chair and it’s made out of the finest and smoothest leather you’ll ever touch. Ballin’!”

 

Seungkwan just dropped to the floor laughing as the others looked on, not knowing how to react.

 

“They do this really often in the office.” Chan whispered. 

 

“Well, I thank God Joshua isn’t here.” Seokmin shrugged. “Can’t even imagine how much more exaggerated this could get.”

 

“Guys, let’s move on to the last stop before we get our dinner!” Wonwoo clapped to get everyone’s attention. “Come, let’s go.”

 

Everyone got up from the chairs and obediently followed his instructions. He couldn’t help but feel proud that they’re finally listening to him.

 

 _“Oh damn, I really do feel like a dad.”_ He worryingly thought to himself.

 

After picking out a dining table, they went over their list to check their items before making their way to the counter. 

 

“Finally! Meatballs!” Wonwoo happily said to himself.

 

“Oh my God! Look at all these plushies!” Seungkwan squealed. 

 

Of course, the children’s section had to be placed right before the counter.

 

Wonwoo groaned. “No, put that down. We’re going to have dinner first.”

 

“They’ve added so much stuff since the last time I came here!” Chan exclaimed, holding up the colourful boxes of marker pens.

 

“Whoa, they even have headwear now!” Vernon said before putting on a crown made of fabric on himself.

 

“Each of you can get something if you want, we have the company’s card.” Seokmin whipped out the credit card dramatically. 

 

The interns’ eyes shone with delight.

 

“Oh heck yes!” Seungkwan quickly reached for a teddy bear wearing a dungaree. 

 

Wonwoo placed his hands on his hips. “Aren’t we misusing the company card?”

 

“Well, no.” Minghao said. “Seungcheol’s policy has always been to ensure the happiness of his employees and this makes the interns happy! Look at them!”

 

Wonwoo nodded. Minghao did have a point. “I’m going to order two plates of meatballs later because that makes me happy.”

 

After paying for their furniture, a teddy bear, a Golden Retriever plushie and a collection of various markers, colour pencils and felt pens, they finally made their way to the Ikea restaurant.

 

“Hey, let’s take a picture and send it to the group chat!” Minghao suggested. 

 

Seconds after sending the picture, messages came in. 

 

Jihoon

_Did u guys get the furniture?_

8:25pm

 

Jun

_is wonwoo still alive lol u look dead_

8:26pm

 

Soonyoung

_FOOD!!_

8:26pm

 

Jeonghan

_aw how cute, look at the plushies seungkwan and vernon are holding!!_

8:27pm

 

Mingyu

_The adventures of Wonwoo and his kids_

8:30pm

 

Seungcheol

_Eat well, guys! Buy anything you want :D_

8:30pm

 

Soonyoung

_coups, you just gave them infinite power to buy literally anything they want_

8:32pm

 

Jihoon

_Don’t come crying when you see a lifetime supply of meatballs and plushies on the credit card bill next month._

8:34pm

 

Joshua

_Oh, can you guys please get me a table lamp?_

8:40pm

 

Seokmin

_u coulda told us earlier!!! dammit joshua_

8:40pm

 

Wonwoo

_If we’re going in again, i’m out._

8:40pm

 

Mingyu

_You’re probably gonna go into a food coma after finishing the 2 plates of meatballs_

8:40pm

 

Seungkwan

_hey hey hey i’m up!!!_

8:40pm

 

Minghao

_joshua, this is what happens when you only check your messages twice a day._

8:41pm

 

Vernon

_IKEA ROUND 2 WHOOP WHOOP_

8:41pm

 

Chan

_(dancing emoji)_

8:41pm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was entirely inspired by the random Ikea trips my friends and I take hahaahaha. I hope this was a fun read!! Also, a lot of people were fooled by the April Fools chapter and I feel really bad because some of you were really sad when you thought the series ended?? In a way that really makes me happy because it means you guys really enjoy reading this series which is really nice :D Thank you so much for always reading the weird things I write hahaaha. Anyway, like always leave a comment or let's be friends on twitter @gyusootrash!!


	13. This is Not a Drill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's spooky time.

“And this is why I firmly believe that as an initiative to promote teamwork, healthy competition and also to improve our physical health, we should invest in a ping pong table for the office.” Minghao concluded in his final slide.

 

Everyone was gathered at the meeting room for the upcoming year’s budget proposal and Seungcheol gave them the liberty to propose for any form of investments which could benefit the company. So far, a ping pong table, a portable karaoke machine and an office puppy were proposed.

 

“I still think we should get an office puppy.” Mingyu voiced. “I mean, who wouldn’t want a little ball of fluff running around the office? Its an instant stress reliever and it would bring so much joy! Oh and we can even put it in tiny puppy clothes!”

 

“What about a portable karaoke machine? Studies have shown that the way to a client’s heart is through a karaoke session.” Seungkwan said. 

 

“There’s a study which has proven that?” Vernon asked out of genuine curiosity and flipped through his meeting documents to look for the paper.

 

“Hush.” Seungkwan grunted.

 

“The only study I believe in is that humans need an adequate amount of sleep. I think we should get a bed so we can take power naps.” Jeonghan suggested.

 

“You can sure bet it’s going to be a power nap, alright. Jeonghan’s going to sleep for an eternity.” Jun said. “Now, what I think we should invest in is more camera gear.”

 

“Oh hey, that’s a good suggestion.” Seungcheol smiled. “The stylists can use it -”

 

“And also binoculars, camouflage attire, face paint-” Jun continued.

 

“You know what, maybe not.” Seungcheol pursed his lips.

 

“Can we reconsider the puppo?” Mingyu asked.

 

“Ping pong table!” Minghao interjected.

 

“Really? A bed doesn’t appeal to any of you?” Jeonghan said, crossing his arms.

 

“I think a karaoke machine is pretty neat.” Seokmin shrugged.

 

“See! One happy employee!” Seungkwan pointed.

 

“Guys, you’re forgetting the camera-”

 

“Little pupper in little pupper clothes!”

 

“2017 is the year of the #fitfam, guys.”

 

“How about we allocate some funds to create more content and host events to promote our magazine?” Chan suggested in the midst of the bickering.

 

“Maybe we should just invest in some peace and quiet.” Wonwoo said.

 

The editors could only look on as the rest of them bicker back and forth with the exception of Seungkwan who decided to belt out a song. 

 

“Alright, guys.” Seungcheol said. “Can everyone just sit down and we’ll figure out something -”

 

_Boom!_

 

The lights went off just when Seungkwan reached a high note. There was no electricity coming through and it was pitch black.

 

“Dammit, Seungkwan!” Jun cried.

 

“I’ll go check the generator. The switch must have flipped or something.” Soonyoung stood up from his seat and used the light from his phone to guide his way out of the room.

 

Pure silence followed as Soonyoung left the room. Suddenly, a rumble was heard and a ray of light flashed through the room. 

 

“What’s going on?” Chan asked.

 

“Is it me or did the room just got colder?” Joshua pointed out while he rubbed his shoulders.

 

The room was indeed colder than before. The fact that it was pitch black did not help as well. Just then, a knocking sound was heard from the ceiling.

 

“Shit!” Seungkwan exclaimed.

 

“Lock the damn door, Minghao!” Seokmin demanded.

 

Almost immediately, Minghao dashed from his seat to the door to lock it.

 

“What about Soonyoung? We can’t just leave him outside!” Jun said with concern.

 

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the middle of the room which formed a silhouette of a figure. The figure was tiny, almost childlike and as it drew itself closer to the light, its stoic expression was highlighted.

 

“Jihoon! Cut it out!” Seungcheol cried.

 

“What?” Jihoon said in self-defense. He shrugged and held his phone which had its lights on to illuminate the room. “Have we all forgotten that our phones have the option to act as flashlights?”

 

“Yeah, but we don’t hold it near our faces and make ourselves look like the boy from Ju-on!” Mingyu frowned.

 

“Truly a demon child.” Joshua shook his head.

 

“Well, I guess I could say my singing almost brought the roof down, right?” Seungkwan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Right?”

 

Everyone turned their heads towards Seungkwan and shot him a glare. The beam of light emitting from Jihoon’s phone made their faces more menacing than they were.

 

“Alright, I guess not.” Seungkwan’s voice faltered.

 

The door knob started rattling and its handle was being turned furiously from the other side. Minghao got up from his seat to unlock the door but was stopped by Seokmin.

 

“No! Don’t open the door!” Seokmin said as he pulled onto the hem of Minghao’s shirt.

 

“It’s most probably Soonyoung.” Minghao sighed. “You guys are overthinking this!”

 

“For all we know it could be anything other than Soonyoung!” Seokmin cried.

 

“That’s stupid.” Minghao shrugged off Seokmin’s grip and proceeded to the door.

 

The knocking got louder as Minghao approached the door but it fell silent when he reached for the doorknob. As he unlocked it, a loud thud was heard which was followed by a scream.

 

Minghao immediately retreated his hand and looked at the others in shock.

 

“Call the exorcist!” Seungkwan declared. “I’ve watched enough horror movies to know that someone is being possessed right now!”

 

“Everyone stay calm!” Seungcheol said. “We have to get Soonyoung!”

 

Seungcheol walked towards the door although there were pleads telling him not to. While he was walking towards the door, a thunderous sound boomed through the room. Seungcheol gulped. As he reached for the handle, he felt the speed of his pulse going faster. Knowing that he should set an example for his fellow employees, he mustered the courage to open the door.

 

A flash of light blinded his eyes the moment the door was swung open. He used his arm to block the light coming though. He could barely open his eyes but as he lowered his arm, he noticed that it was just the light from the office. To his relief, the lights and electricity came back on and it turned out that it was just raining heavily outside. 

 

“Where’s Soonyoung?” Jihoon asked.

 

Everyone looked at each other in concern. The lights came back on, the thunderous sounds and flashes of light were from the storm outside but where was Soonyoung?

 

Seungcheol’s figure was gone when they got up to exit the room. As all of them made their way out, Seungcheol’s laughter filled the office.

 

They all got out to see Soonyoung sprawled on the floor with his phone on his hand and a door stopper next to his feet.

 

“Ah, so that explains the scream.” Chan said in realization.

 

Mingyu and Wonwoo promptly helped Soonyoung up from the floor.

 

“Not to worry, guys. Seventeen is back in business!” Soonyoung grunted while holding up a thumbs up.

 

***

 

The lights in the office have been flickering every now and then since the storm. Seungcheol reckoned that the storm must have caused a disruption to the wiring of the lights. He filed a complaint to the management of the building but it has been two days and no technician has been sent to repair the lights.

 

“The flickering is such a distraction.” Jun sighed.

 

“Maybe,” Joshua stood up. “it’s Eleven! Or worse, the Demogorgon? Is anyone bleeding at the moment?” He looked at his fellow writers with wide eyes.

 

“As much as I love Stranger Things, I’m sure it’s just the wiring.” Seokmin said.

 

“You sound just like Hopper before he believed in Joyce!” Joshua sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. “I’m telling you, something is going on.”

 

“What makes you think that?” Minghao asked.

 

“Well, we’re the only floor which has malfunctioning lights. I went over to some of the floors and the lights were working just fine.” Joshua crossed his legs. “Here’s the part where it gets spooky - what floor are we on?”

 

“The 13th.” The rest said in unison.

 

“And Halloween is in two days!” Jun gasped.

 

“That’s right.” Joshua nodded. 

 

For a moment, they could only stare at each other in fear and suspicion.

 

“Oh come on!” Minghao said. “There are 20 floors in this building. How many could you have visited?”

 

“Okay fine, I only went to the 4th, 6th and 14th floor.” Joshua said. 

 

“Four, six and fourteen? Am I seeing a pattern here?” Seokmin questioned.

 

“Yes!” Joshua clapped. “If anything spooky is bound to happen, I’m sure it’ll happen on the floors which have less auspicious numbers.”

 

“Four is associated with death in Chinese and six is well, the devil’s number.” Jun nodded. “But you found nothing wrong with the floors?”

 

“That’s right and this raises my suspicion because what comes after four and six in terms of the _spooky_ numbers?”

 

“Thirteen!” Seungkwan cried as he broke into the writers room.

 

“Seungkwan!” The writers said in shock.

 

“Were you eavesdropping on us the whole time?” Seokmin shot Seungkwan a side eye.

 

“Well,” Seungkwan started sheepishly but dropped the act immediately. “okay, yeah, I was! Joshua, you were saying?”

 

Seungkwan grabbed a chair from Jun’s table and pulled it near Joshua’s table so he could listen to what he has to say.

 

“I swear, Seungkwan you’re the master of creeps.” Jun noted. “I’d love to have you with me on my other jobs.”

 

“I’m flattered.” Seungkwan smiled. “We can have a chat later but for now, let’s listen to what Joshua has to say.”

 

“Okay, as Seungkwan was saying, thirteen comes next and we’re on the thirteen floor -the only floor with malfunctioning lights and cooler than usual air ventilation. The storm happened on a Friday and Halloween is in two days so I just think it’s _spooky_ how all these are happening at once.” Joshua said, wiggling his fingers for effect.

 

Just when Joshua finished his sentence, the lights flickered once again but this time, one of the lightbulbs sparked which caused the room to become dimmer. Seungkwan’s eyes wavered in fear and Seokmin rubbed the goosebumps which formed on his arms.

 

“Shit, screw this. I'm out!” Seungkwan got up and pushed his chair way. As he made his way to the door, it suddenly flung open.

 

Seungkwan screamed in fear and fell on the floor.

 

“What the hell?” Jeonghan said, with one hand on the doorknob.

 

“What’s with all these unnecessary scares?” Seungkwan whined from the floor.

 

“Coincidence? I think not!” Joshua waved his finger.

 

“There’s literally no privacy in this office.” Minghao shook his head.

 

Jeonghan could only look at Joshua, the writers and Seungkwan on the floor with disbelief. 

 

“Anyway, I heard your discussion and I think, other than your “spooky numbers” theory, you might have forgotten that the 4th floor belongs to Monsta Inc, the tattoo parlor owned by our lovely friends. The only lights they need are the portable ones and their place doesn’t even need much lights to begin with. 6th floor is owned by EXO cooperations and knowing you Joshua, you probably went there for the free coffee and cakes.” Jeonghan explained.

 

“They have premium roasted coffee and _really_ good cake.” Joshua nodded towards the other writers. “Yes, there are some loopholes here and there but you’ve forgotten the 14th floor!”

 

“Isn’t it empty?” Jeonghan asked.

 

“Aha! Yes, it is and so, if it’s empty, why are the lights on?” 

 

“Dude...” Minghao quivered. “There’s something at the window.”

 

All heads immediately turned to the window but there was nothing.

 

“Not funny, Minghao!” Seokmin punched said boy’s arm.

 

“Especially not now!” Seungkwan cried.

 

“That’s the first thing you reached out for?” Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at Joshua who was clutching on to his rosary with trembling hands.

 

“I’ll call Father Kim if I have to!” Joshua exclaimed.

 

“Anyway, I think everyone is just overreacting.” Minghao placed his hands on his hips. “There’s nothing spooky going on. It’s just a coincidence that the electricity is failing during a time near Halloween.”

 

“I agree.” Jeonghan nodded. “Let’s get back to work. We have a magazine to publish.”

 

Jeonghan helped Seungkwan up from the floor and the writers returned to their seats.

 

_Maybe I am overthinking this_ , Joshua thought.

 

He’s been watching one too many horror movies anyway. His imagination has probably clouded his mind. Jeonghan and Minghao are probably right - the timing of the events is just a mere coincidence. He shook off his thoughts and went back to work. After all, the emails aren’t going to answer themselves.

 

What the rest didn’t know was that Joshua was right. No one was prepared for what is yet to come.

 

***

 

The flickering of the lights stopped but it was only because the lights stopped working altogether and Wonwoo had the worst luck of being in the toilet when it happened. He was in one of the cubicles when he heard soft groans. He thought he misheard it but the sounds of discomfort continued.

 

“Hey, is anyone there? Are you alright?” Wonwoo’s voice quivered.

 

The moaning and grunting only got louder after Wonwoo asked the question.

 

“D-d-do you need h-help?” Wonwoo asked again.

 

This time, a loud bang on the cubicle door was heard.

 

“Help.” A soft utter followed.

 

Wonwoo wasted no time and dashed through the toilet’s exit once he heard the voice. He ran towards the studio with cold sweat trickling down his forehead. Mingyu and Jeonghan were drawing the curtains to let the sunlight in but they stopped when they saw Wonwoo running into the studio.

 

“What’s the matter?” Mingyu asked, holding onto Wonwoo’s shoulder. “You look really pale. What happened?”  


 

“There’s something in the toilet, I don’t know what is it but it was groaning and moaning and then it hit the walls really loudly and whispered for help but I swear it was no human, it was definitely something else, I don’t know!” Wonwoo said in one breath.

 

“Okay, slow down.” Jeonghan said. “There’s something in the toilet?”

 

“Yes.” Wonwoo nodded. “The sounds it made - it was downright creepy.”

 

Mingyu handed Wonwoo a cup of warm tea to calm him down. “Are you sure it’s not the janitor? Or maybe one of us since we’re the only people who use the toilet on this floor.”

 

“I-I don’t know. It just kept groaning in response. I was so scared I jolted out from the toilet.” Wonwoo shrugged.

 

“Then we have to get back there to see what’s going on.” Mingyu said.

 

“No! We don’t know what’s in there!” Wonwoo stood in front of Mingyu to stop him.

 

“It’s three against one! I’ll protect you.” Mingyu assured.

 

“I don’t need to be protected!” Wonwoo frowned and crossed his arms in temperament.

 

“Then let’s check out what’s going on.” Mingyu said, hiding his amusement at Wonwoo's antics.

 

Mingyu walked past Wonwoo with Jeonghan trailing from the back. The trio made their way to the dimly lit toilet. Mingyu pushed the door open and the toilet was empty. The doors of the cubicles were all opened.

 

“Eh? No one’s here.” Mingyu said, checking on the first few cubicles.

 

“I swear I heard something just now.” Wonwoo said. “I know I did.”

 

“Guys,” Jeonghan said. “You might want to come at look at this.”

 

Jeonghan was standing in front of the last cubicle with his head titled towards the floor. Wonwoo and Mingyu made their way to where Jeonghan was and gasped the moment they realized what he was looking at.

 

“Is that....blood?” Mingyu crouched down to look at the droplets of red stains on the floor. The droplets were scattered on the floor of the last cubicle but there was no trail of it which made them wonder where did the blood even come from.

 

***

 

Chan was creating some designs for the magazine when he heard a thud coming from the ceiling. He took off his earphones and looked up, thinking that he might have mistaken a beat in the song for what he heard. As he was about to put his earphones back, loud knocking filled the air again.

 

Chan’s eyes met with Vernon and Seungkwan who must have heard the knocking as well.

 

“Did you guys hear that?” Chan asked.

 

“The knocking?” Vernon said while looking up at the ceiling. "From up there?"

 

Seungkwan and Chan nodded. The knocking was gone but if three people heard it, it must have had happened.

 

“The 14th floor is unoccupied, though.” Seungkwan said. “But Joshua mentioned that the lights were functioning for some reason.”

 

“You mean, someone or something is up there right now?” Chan said.

 

The knocking sounds filled the room again.

 

“I think we might have our answer...” Vernon gulped.

 

***

 

“Like I was saying, the four of us should definitely dress up as the judges of Show Me The Money!” Seokmin said. “Minghao you can be Simon D, Jun as Dok2 and Joshua as The Quiett! I’ll be Gray.”

 

“No fair, why do you get to be Gray?” Jun sulked.

 

“Because,” Seokmin hooked his arm around Minghao’s shoulder. “Minghao and I are Team AOMG. Seattle to Seoul, baby!”

 

“Both of you aren’t even from anywhere remotely near Seattle!” Jun retaliated. “Josh, help me out!”

 

“I’m okay with being The Quiett, I think we both have this low, gentle voice. Lowkey think I could probably pass as him.” Joshua said before wearing his sunglasses. “Wait, did I use ‘lowkey’ right?” 

 

Jun rolled his eyes.

 

“But still-”

 

Rattling noises from the window interrupted Jun’s speech. The rattling sounded like long fingernails tapping against the glass windows. The tapping was almost rhythmic with a one second interval between each tap. 

 

“Are you guys hearing what I’m hearing?” Minghao asked, finger pointing at the window which is covered by the curtains.

 

Everyone stayed silent for a moment to listen once again but it was as if the sound was aware of itself and stopped doing so.

 

“You guys heard that right? The tapping?” Jun asked. 

 

“Yeah, and it stopped when Minghao brought up the question. Holy shit!” Seokmin exclaimed with both palms against the cheeks of his face.

 

“Maybe it’s the wind or something?” Joshua suggested. “Doubt it’s anything we should be worried about.”

 

“What if, and I’m just throwing this out there but what if, what Joshua mentioned yesterday was indeed real? What if something spooky is happening?” Jun said. 

 

Pure darkness followed thereafter. The electricity was cut off and the office was dark yet again. Goosebumps formed on the arms of the writers as they suddenly became aware of the possibility that Joshua could have been right all this while.

 

“Everyone stay calm.” Joshua said, holding onto the arms of his fellow writers.

 

“I am calm!” Seokmin exclaimed with his hands in the air.

 

“Everyone panic!” Minghao shouted in response.

 

Creaks of chairs were heard as the writers moved around the room in panic.

 

“What do we do?”

 

“Please don’t harm us, whatever you are! We’re just struggling writers!”

 

“Joshua, do you have Father Kim on speed-dial?”

 

“We can’t sit in the dark and panic!” Minghao said, with his hands on his head in despair.

 

“That’s true.” Joshua nodded. “We have to do something before-”

 

This time, sounds of nails scratching across the window was heard alongside the tapping.

 

“That’s it, we end this right now!” Joshua huffed.

 

He marched towards the window and held onto the side of the curtain. With a clenched fist, he was about to pull the curtains in one swift motion when he stopped himself.

 

“You know what? I can’ do it, let’s run!” Joshua screamed and ran past the writers towards the door. They followed suit and when they were out of their rooms, so were the others. The stylists and interns were standing outside at the main hall.

 

“What’s going on?” Seungkwan quivered with fear.

 

“You guys heard something too?” Minghao asked.

 

“Heard something? We saw something! There are blood stains on the toilet floor!” Wonwoo said in despair.

 

“Seungkwan, Chan and I heard knocking sounds from the ceiling.” Vernon added.

 

“And we heard the sound of nails scratching against the window of our room!” Jun said. “There’s definitely something spooky going on.”

 

“I can’t believe this, Joshua was right.” Jeonghan said.

 

“Where are the editors?” Chan asked, upon noticing that the editors’ room was empty.

 

Mingyu checked his watch. “Probably out for lunch.” He answered.

 

Seconds later their phones dinged with a notification. It was a text from Seungcheol.

 

_“This is not a drill. Get out of the office now.”_ The text read.

 

“Everyone, move, move, move!” Joshua ushered everyone to the main entrance.

 

They dashed to the main entrance as told. As they reached the entrance, a silhouette of a man carrying a weapon of some sort was seen. It was as long as his arm and it looked like a stick or worse, it could probably be a gun.

 

Joshua, who was at the front took two steps back and put his hands out in defense. His breath hitched as he doesn’t know what could happen in the next second. All he knew was that he can’t back out, especially with his friends behind him.

 

The door of the main entrance slid open and the translucent glass door gradually revealed the identity of the man. He was wearing a full body suit and there were numerous tools by his feet. As the door slid further, they saw that the man was holding - new lights?

 

“Wait, what?” Joshua crooked his head in confusion.

 

It was the technician.

 

“Uh, this is the Seventeen Headquarters right?” the technician asked.

 

Joshua hesitated for a moment. “Yes, it is. Are you here to fix the lights?” He asked.

 

“Yeah, it’s Maintenance Day.” the technician held up a paper of notice. 

 

“We have a Maintenance Day?” Mingyu questioned.

 

The rest came forward and looked at the paper. It was a notice to notify all occupants of the building that there will be disruptions due to building maintenance.

 

“So, there isn’t anything spooky going on?” Vernon asked, just to be sure.

 

“Oh, thank God. I’m too young to be perished by some demon-monster-ghost.” Seungkwan fell dramatically to the floor.

 

“What?” the technician said and wondered if it was too late to make a run from these pale-looking, exasperated group of boys.

 

“Then, why is there blood on the toilet floor?” Wonwoo stood forward to ask.

 

“Ah, sorry about that.” the technician apologized sheepishly. “Accidentally cut my finger on the edge of the tissue dispenser and hit my head on the wall. Silly me.” He laughed in embarrassment.

 

“Then what about the screeching on the window?” Seokmin asked, making scratching motions with his hands.

 

“I’m not sure what you mean by that but there are people outside cleaning the windows.” the technician gestured towards the windows.

 

Minghao went back to the writers’ room to draw the curtains. True to what the technician said, there were people outside cleaning their windows. When the sponge made contact with the glass windows, it produced a screeching sound which sounded like nails scratching against the glass.

 

“What about the 14th floor? Isn’t it empty? Why are there noises?” Chan asked.

 

“Wow, you boys sure have a lot of questions.” the technician chuckled. “It’s been rented by some company so we’re installing lights and stuff like that.”

 

“Ah, that explains so much.” Jeonghan said.

 

“Well, we’ll get going now, sorry to bother you.” Joshua thanked the technician and left the office with the rest.

 

“That was embarrassing.” Minghao buried his head in his palms. “Why do we always make a fool out of ourselves?”

 

“I wonder if this was all thought out by the editors?” Vernon pursed his lips. “Is this another prank?”

 

Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear, or rather devils, in this case. The three editors made their way towards their employees.

 

“How come we were not notified of Maintenance Day?” Wonwoo asked.

 

“Well, we kinda forgot until Jihoon reminded me about it just now during lunch.” Seungcheol answered. “But hey, you guys got out safe before anything happened!”

 

"Oh, no, no." Wonwoo waved his finger. "I assure you many things have happened to us."

 

"What's with the misleading message? You knew we were scared of the spooky things!" Jun cried.

 

"We were worried that you guys could possibly get injured by the maintenance works going on." Jihoon said in defense of himself and the editors. "And, yeah, it was partially to scare you guys as well." He smirked.

"Happy Halloween?" Soonyoung said with his shoulders propped up in uncertainty.

 

"Oh no, Happy Hall-no-ween!" Joshua shook his head.

 

"This is not a drill, we're leaving the office for lunch right now. We've had too much." Seungkwan huffed. "Editors are not invited."

 

"Oh come on, kids. We'll pay for your meal." Seungcheol said.

 

All of them turned their heads in unison.

 

"The editors are cordially invited to join us for lunch." Seokmin said with a bow which caused laughter among everyone.

 

"So, can we get a ping pong table to compensate for the horrible scare which has put our well-being on the line?" Minghao asked.

 

Seungcheol looked over to Jihoon who gave a shrug and then over at Soonyoung who nodded his head. 

 

"Well, maybe." Seungcheol said with a smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Seventeen is back in business! i'm terribly sorry for the long wait and i'm not sure if anyone still reads this but hey hey! an update, yay? yes i do realize that Halloween is over and i really wanted to publish this on Halloween but i kept adding stuff to the chapter OTL anyway, my semester ended and i have one exam in about 2 weeks but i should be free from then! hopefully, more updates will come (if you guys want it, that is hahah) tell me what you think and come talk to me on my twitter @gyusootrash or curiouscat @gyusoo !!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know, I thought it'd be cute if Seventeen worked at Seventeen haha. Tell me what you think about this series! I really appreciate comments and feedback! Or if you want to send an anonymous message, don't hesitate to send me one @ greysoo.tumblr.com/ask or just talk/fangirl with me on twitter @gyusootrash !!


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